Ruckus in the Courts
by silverfox9947
Summary: Jiraiya, the head of the Night Court, and Tsunade, the head of the Day Court, have their work cut out for them trying to work out their Gods and Goddess love lives.
1. Prologue

**This is the prologue to the new story I am starting. It's going to be a chapter story.**

**Parings: Sasuke x Naruto, Kakashi x Iruka, Shikamaru x Ino, Lee x Sakura, Shino x Kiba, Neji x Gaara, Temari x Tenten, and Jiraiya x Tsunade**

Prologue~

Loud laughter bounced off the walls as a shaggy white haired man dodged a cup thrown at his head.

"Come now, Tsunade." Said the man, putting his hands up to show he meant no harm. "How can you say the dinner was a disaster? Compared to last time, I would say this dinner was a success."

"No!" growled the long haired blonde, who conjured up another cup filled with wine. She took a sip, before fixing the man with a glare. "Don't you see, Jiraiya? This dinner didn't accomplish anything, therefore it was a disaster."

Jiraiya looked at his wife in confusion. He knew his wife to be a very smart woman, but he honestly thought she had gone crazy. He looked around the dinner hall. The room had high archways with chandeliers made of ice hanging down, the fire that glowed in the center never melting no matter how hot the fire got. Golden and black silk banners hung from the tan walls, signaling the peace between the Day and Night Courts. Two long tables, now cleared, had been overflowing with foods of all sizes and shapes. Nothing was broken or splattered. Jiraiya counted this as a success.

"We agree." came a voice from the doorway. There stood two girls. One had four shaggy blonde buns and wore a long white dress with a red sash across her waist. A black strap went diagonal down her body and held a giant fan against her back. The other had two sleek brown buns with some hair hanging in her face. She wore a loose pink dress, with a yellow sash across her waist. Both had scowls on their faces as Jariaya turned to them with a perverted smile.

"My dear Temari and Tenten, have you finally come around to allowing me to research your relationship? You know my fans are waiting for a Yuri novel and I would hate to disappoint them." Jiraiya ducked as another cup shattered against the wall.

"No, you perverted old man, we came to discuss the dinner" growled the black haired girl, Tenten the Goddess of War.

"See, they know it was a failure too." wailed Tsunade, who, after hitting her husband on the head, conjured up another cup and chugged it down.

"Well, then somebody explain it to me because I don't see how the dinner was a disaster." grumbled Jiraiya, rubbing his sore head. Tsunade huffed.

"Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't talk to each other, although it seemed Naruto was trying to start a fight. Kiba and Shino ignored each other. Sakura and Ino fawned over Sasuke while Lee sulked in the corner and Shikamaru slept the entire time-"

"He **is** the God of Sleep." Jiraiya cut in, only to have another cup sacrificed against his head.

"Iruka played musical chairs, again, to get away from Kakashi. Gaara glared death to his food and it looks like Neji has a crush on Naruto." Tsunade ended her speech on a screech. Both Temari and Tenten winced.

Jiraiya just blinked. "Are you saying that the dinner wasn't successful because no one got together? "

Tsunade glared at him. "That is exactly what I am saying." She took a drink from another cup and sighed. "As the leader of my Court, it is my responsibility to make sure my people are happy. And by the way Naruto, Kiba, Ino, Iruka, and Lee are complaining I can safely say my people aren't happy. The only way I can see fixing this is to get them together with their mates. But they're either too stubborn or too blind to see their rightful mate and it is driving me insane!"

Jiraiya rubbed Tsunade's shoulders, trying to calm her. "I know how you feel. My court is unhappy as well, they're just not as vocal as yours. I think the best solution is to just let things work themselves out. They will figure out who their rightful mate is. What's the hurry?"

Temari, the Goddess of Wind, snorted as she sat down across from Jiraiya and Tsunade and conjured up a cup of wine for herself. "With the way things are going Mother Earth will separate from Father Sky before Naruto and Sasuke even think about each other in a kind way. Not to mention the fact Sakura, Ino, and Neji are chasing after false mates, Shikamaru would rather sleep, and it seems that Kiba and Shino barley notice each other."

"I feel the same way. I think we need to interfere." said Tenten as Temari pulled her into her lap.

"I agree as well." said Tsunade.

"I guess I am being dragged into this too." Jiraiya sighed in defeat.

"Tsunade smirked at him as her eyes seemed to gleam. "Yes, especially since I plan to withhold sex until our Courts get together."

Jiraiya let out a small whimper.

**Please review! And if you notice any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them!**


	2. Chapter One: Problems

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"**talking"**

'**thinking'**

**Chapter One: Problems **

Naruto slowly made his way across the sky as the Day turned to Dusk. He was lost in thought, something uncommon for him. Not that Naruto was stupid, just that he rather be in the moment and not think too much on things. But he felt that this certain subject required some serious thought.

Speaking of, he could see his 'subject' slowly making his way toward Naruto. The Sun God stopped and bit his lip, wishing he could just avoid the other God. But the routine was that as the Day became Night, the Sun God passed the Moon God, and vice versa as the Night became Day.

"Naruto!" said God looked up in surprise as another God made his presence known. He grinned at the newcomer, Neji, the God of Oceans, was a friend of Naruto's and a much more welcomed sight than the other approaching God.

"Good evening Neji, how was your waters today?" Naruto asked, a bright smile on his face.

A rare smile appeared on Neji's face as he answered. "My oceans received a lot of visitors today thanks to you."

Naruto smiled bashfully at that. "I think that had more to do with Ino than me."

Neji shook his head in disagreement. "No, Naruto. Without you, Ino would be as dull as Shino. You are what truly make Summer special."

Naruto frowned at that. That was one thing that bothered Naruto about Neji. Even though he was complementing Naruto, he always found a way to put down the other Gods. Naruto was a firm believer in that the Gods only did spectacular work when working together.

"The humans went to your oceans so they could get away from the idoit." Except Naruto could deal with a little less Moon.

"Shut up bastard! At least the humans can enjoy while I'm out. No one wants to come near a cold bastard like you!" Naruto shouted.

"Like I care if the humans enjoy me or not. At least they can look at me safely. If anyone dares look at your ugliness, they go blind." The Moon God replied smoothly, walking past them.

Naruto flushed at that, but he had no reply other than a mumbled "Bastard."

"Ignore him." Neji said. "Sasuke is just a little too obsessed with himself."

Naruto gave a shaky laugh but he was thinking over the harshness of the other's words. 'He called me ugly.'

While it was true that the Moon and the Sun have never gotten along, what with them being opposites and all, Naruto had thought that they were at least learning to tolerate each other. Whenever the two Gods were forced to be together, like with the passing of Day to Night, they no longer broke out into fights. Instead, they just exchanged a "Dobe" and "Teme" and went on their way.

Except last month, when both Courts had gathered for their monthly dinner. Naruto was still trying to figure out what went wrong.

Sasuke and he had arrived at the Hall where the dinners were held at the same time and Sasuke seemed civil enough. He didn't say anything besides a "Dobe" as he passed by but that was more of an acknowledgement of Naruto's presence than an insult. Even when the two were forced to sit next to each other, thanks to Iruka who wanted to sit as far as possible from Kakashi, everything seemed fine. Then Neji came and sat on the other side of Naruto. The two began talking and Naruto was surprised to find the normally serious God had a sense of humor. Everything was going fine until the Bread Incident, as Naruto liked to call it.

As the dinner progressed, Naruto felt angry vibes coming from Sasuke. Every time Naruto snuck a glance at Sasuke he was scowling down at his food. He didn't really get it. No one was bothering the bastard; Sakura and Ino were force to sit at the other end of the table. As he was pondering what could be bothering Sasuke, he had reached for the last piece of bread. The problem was that Sasuke had also reached for the bread. Both Gods froze, staring at each other (Ino swore that she saw lightning bolts pass between them). Naruto had worked himself up over Sasuke's bastardness and Sasuke was just being a bastard (according to Naruto). Both refused to let go of the bread.

Then Sasuke smirked. It wasn't his usually smirk, this one didn't hold any of his usual arrogance. It only held anger and something else Naruto couldn't describe. Of course Naruto didn't really care about what that something else was when the bastard said Naruto didn't need another piece of bread because he was fat enough. Also he had a stupid laugh. Embarrassed, Naruto punched him. The night ended with two broken tables, ten broken plates, and food splattered everywhere.

What really made Naruto mad was that when the Night passed to Day Sasuke acted like nothing happened. Naruto was use to talking (or screaming) things out after a fight. It's the way they did things in the Day Court. But when Naruto tried to talk to Sasuke, he just ignored him. The next day, when Day became Night, Naruto tried to again. And, again, was ignored. After several days of trying, Naruto just gave up. And when this month's dinner came around, Naruto made sure to ignore Sasuke (not that Sasuke was talking that much to him anyways).

Now that Naruto thought about it, there had been several times over the past year where Sasuke had been especially rude to Naruto. And in each incident Naruto had been talking to Neji. Naruto glanced over at the Ocean God, who was still ranting about Sasuke. 'So does Sasuke have a problem with Neji? Or does he have a problem with Neji talking to me?' Naruto shook his head at the thought. Why would Sasuke care who Neji or Naruto talked too? Sasuke and he certainly weren't friends and the same could be said about Sasuke and Neji.

So that meant Sasuke had a problem with Neji. 'Wait, if he has a problem with Neji, why is he taking it out on _me_?' Naruto bit his lip in confusion.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Neji asked, concern lacing his voice. Naruto blinked, before rubbing the back of his head and waving off Neji's concern.

"I'm sorry Neji, but I have to go and…umm…see what Ino has planned for tomorrow." Naruto ran off before Neji could ask any more questions.

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Ino, the Goddess of Summer, let out a soft sigh as she watched Iruka, the God of Love, work his magic on a young couple. Ino wished that was Sasuke and her, enjoying his beams and her warm nights.

Her thoughts darkened as she saw a familiar head of hair sleeping in the trees above the couple. 'Shikamaru!' Ino thought in disgust, her cheeks burning at the anger that coursed through her as she remembered the God of Sleep's words.

They were at the dinner that all major Gods and Goddess were forced to attend. Not that Ino minded, since it was the only time that she got to see her one true love, Sasuke. Sakura and she were fighting again, and Ino had said something about how Sasuke was her one true love. That was when Shikamaru had lifted his head off the table and lazily stated that there was no such thing as love. After uttering that dreadful sentence, he had the nerve, the _nerve_, to go on and say that 'love' was just a pheromone that Iruka manipulated. Ino felt that it was justice to bitch slap him out of his chair.

'How could anyone be against love?' Ino wondered as she glared down at the God. 'Love is so wonderful.' A distant part of her wondered if he had felt love at all before. 'Probably not.' She thought with a snort. That same part then wondered if maybe **she** should show him how wonderful love was.

Ino had a second to be shocked and disgusted with herself (though not as much as she would like) before she was tackled by her hyperactive blonde friend. "Hello Ino!"

Ino laughed at the Sun God before pushing him off of her and pushing all thoughts of Shikamaru and love in a tiny box. "Hello Naruto."

At first Ino didn't like Naruto; she thought the God was too loud and annoying. She didn't want to have anything to do with the God and had often felt disgraced that she had to work with him so often. She even went so far as to feel glad when Shino, the God of Winter, would take over so she could get away from him. Then, one day, Naruto did not show up. It wasn't that that he didn't pass Sasuke or that he hid behind some clouds. The Day simply did not arrive. Sasuke had to hold onto the Night while the other Gods and Goddess searched for Naruto. And, by some weird twist of fate, it was Ino, the Goddess who did everything to avoid Naruto that found the God hiding on the Mortal realm, crying.

None of the other Gods or Goddess knew what had transpired between Ino and Naruto, but they never found out why Naruto was crying or the fact that he was even crying. Ino had promised she would never tell anyone, and it was a promise she fully intended to keep.

After that, the two Immortals became almost inseparable. The two were often found laughing or playing. Ino was there when Naruto confessed to Sakura about his crush on the Spring Goddess and helped console him with ramen and their favorite music when his confession was politely rejected. And when Ino and Sakura's friendship went down in flames over their shared crush, Naruto was there to help pick up the pieces and bring a smile to Ino's face again.

"So Ino, was today up to your standards, oh High and Mighty Queen of Summer?" Naruto asked playfully as he gave a mock curtsy.

Ino rubbed her chin thoughtfully before smirking at Naruto. "Nope." Naruto gave a fake growl and Ino laughed.

"Well, what impossible standards must I meet tomorrow?" Naruto asked, glaring at her, but it was ruined by the smile splitting his face.

"I was thinking of making it a scorcher tomorrow. That way it'll make the cool of Night a little better." Ino replied, a dreamy look passing over her face at the thought of Sasuke.

Naruto snorted. "Always trying to ruin my image, huh?" Ino laughed again, and Naruto smiled a bit, but it was strained. He needed someone to talk to, but Ino didn't seem like such a good choice now because of her obsession-uh he meant dedication- to Sasuke. No matter what he said, she would probably twist it to make Sasuke look better. But he had no one else he could talk to. Kiba wouldn't take it seriously, Lee would just go on about the joys of youth, Gaara wasn't much of a talker, Temari was too busy with her mate, and he was kind of embarrassed to talk to Iruka about this, though he didn't know why. So, really, Ino was the only one he could go to. And he supposed that if anyone knew anything about Sasuke's problems, it would be Ino.

So readying his resolve, Naruto hesitantly asked, "Uhmm…Ino? Could I, maybe, ask you something…about Sasuke?"

Ino smiled brightly at Naruto. Ino didn't get to talk much about her crush to Naruto because of their problems in the past. So she was always ready when Naruto opened up a discussion about her favorite subject. "Sure Naruto."

Naruto fidgeted a little. "Well, I was wondering if the basta-Sasuke had any…you know…problems with…uh… Neji?"

Ino frowned at him. "Not any that I know of. The Moon and the Ocean generally get along together. Why do you ask?"

"Well I may be wrong, but it seems like whenever he catches Neji and me together, he goes out of his way to be rude to me." Naruto said.

"Maybe he doesn't like you two talking together." Ino said though she doubted it. Sasuke didn't have any reason to not want them to talk.

"I thought the same thing, but it doesn't make sense. What problem could he have with me talking to Neji?" Naruto asked, frowning.

"Well, maybe your just misunderstanding." Said Ino, waving off the problem.

"Yeah, your right." Naruto grinned, before smiling mischievously at her. "Though that would be a first for you."

He jumped out of the way of her fist and ran off laughing, leaving a red faced Ino and a shouted "Naruto!" behind.

**End of chapter one. I hoped you guys like this and sorry it took me so long to update. I'll try to do better next time. **


	3. Chapter 2: More Problems

**Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long. **

'_**Thinking**_**'**

"**Talking"**

Gaara slid his hand through the sand-his sand- and sighed. No matter how upset or confused he was, the sand always made him feel better. It whispered the laughter and excitement of the mortals that had ran their toes through it earlier and it was like Gaara could feel those emotions himself. Nothing could make him feel quite like his sand.

'That's not true.' His mind whispered. 'You feel the same way with Neji.' Gaara sighed. Neji, the bane of his existence and the love of his immortal life.

Gaara wasn't stupid or naïve. He knew he was attracted to the Ocean God, had been since Neji's waters first touched his sand, but Gaara had assumed that the attraction would pass. He had no want or need of another God's presence.

After a couple thousand years, it became quite obvious to Gaara that the attraction was not going away. If anything it seemed to be growing. So Gaara had decided that it was time to God up and confess; the worst Neji could say was that he wasn't interested.

No, it was actually worse than that. It wasn't that Neji wasn't attracted to him, it was that, apparently, Gaara wasn't up to Neji's standards. For any other God this might not have been a problem, but for Gaara, who had stepped out of his comfort zone, it was a crushing blow.

Gaara fell into a depression like state. He withdrew all of his sand from the mortal world and attacked anyone who came near him. Even Tsunade couldn't come near him. Eventually, everyone learned to stay away from him. Well, almost everyone.

For some reason Gaara couldn't figure out, Naruto would come by every night after Sasuke had taken over and talk to him. The first few times, Gaara figured that if he hurt Naruto enough the idoit would learn to stay away. Naruto never fought back when Gaara's sand would cut or knock him down. He would just get back up and continue talking. After a while, Gaara stopped attacking Naruto and would try his best to ignore the blabbing blonde. Even that got tiring.

One night, after a few hours of listening to Naruto's chatter, Gaara snapped.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?!" He had shouted at Naruto. "Can't you see that I don't want you here?"

Naruto just smiled at him before continuing with his one sided conversation. Gaara had huffed angrily and turned his back.

It wasn't until a couple of years later that Gaara's words proved to be untrue.

Gaara had given up on the idea of keeping his sand away from the mortal realm and had spent the night placing it back in its rightful spot when he heard the news. Naruto had gone missing.

At first Gaara was glad. No more Naruto to bug him at night. He could finally have a peaceful night. But after two nights of this, Gaara began to feel funny. He actually missed the constant chatter and the smiles. He missed having someone to share Ino's hot nights and Shino's cold ones. He missed Naruto. So he too joined the search.

He was looking in one of the mortal's deserts when he came across another body. He gave the poor fool a quick glance before moving on when the realization of who it was stopped him. That fool was Neji! Panicking, Gaara transported them to one of Neji's ocean and threw Neji in. As he waited for Neji to resurface, all he could think was '_Please, please, let Neji be ok_.' If Neji doesn't come in contact with water every few days, he could cease to exist. It was the same for Gaara and his sand.

When Neji came up, sputtering, Gaara's body went tingly and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. He even wanted to _hug_ Neji. It made him want to throw up.

"What in the name of Jiraiya did you _do_?!" Neji shouted.

And the good feelings were gone.

"What I did was save your life! What were you thinking?" Gaara shouted back.

Neji at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "I was searching for Naruto." He mumbled.

"Why would _you_ look in the desert? You know you can't survive there!" Gaara was baffled. Neji was supposed to be smart.

"Well, you know, Naruto likes hot places. I thought he might be there." That was mumbled also.

"Why didn't you ask me to look there? I can at least survive." Then it hit him. "I wasn't good enough for you to ask me. You would actually rather risk your life then talk to me!" Now he was regretting saving the stupid jerk's life.

Neji looked back at Gaara in surprise. "No, no, no, it's nothing like that."

"Really?! You made it pretty obvious the last time we talked that you thought you were better than me." Gaara stated angrily.

The jerk actually had to think about when they last talked. Gaara could see when it hit him. Neji waved his hands frantically. "No, no, Gaara, look…." Neji took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was angry that day and I took it out on you. Your one of the few Gods I can trust. And I don't think you're not good enough. It's just…that….I wanted to find Naruto myself." Neji's cheeks were flushed as he finished up.

"Why?"

Neji started fidgeting. "Well, I sort of like Naruto. I feel like he's the one." The end was stated at the ground.

Gaara had trouble breathing for a second and his stomach was turning. Neji liked Naruto. Neji _liked_ Naruto. Neji liked Naruto and not him. Neji thought Naruto was his mate, the one that Mother Earth and Father Sky made for each of them. The little hope that he didn't even know was there was crushed. If Naruto was Neji's mate, there was no hope that Neji and him could get together.

They stood there for a couple of seconds, an awkward silence developing around them, as Gaara stared at Neji. Finally, he spoke "I'll help you find Naruto."

Neji looked up in surprise. "Really?" Gaara nodded and forced a smile, although on the inside he was fighting back tears. He figured if he couldn't have Neji, he should at least make him happy.

Gaara shook himself from his memories and went back to staring at the ocean. He had wanted to hate Naruto when Ino had brought him back, but he found it hard. He still remembered how lonely he had felt in those two days when Naruto was gone. Naruto was even his closest friend now. So all he could do was watch from the sidelines as his friend and his love got closer.

Gaara sighed. '_Why did life have to be so complicated_?'

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"This will definitely get Sasuke's attention." stated Sakura, the Fall Goddess, as she held up a banquet of flowers surrounded by colored leaves. "I can see it now. As soon as he touches the flowers, they'll open up and he will be so amazed he'll immediately ask me to be his mate!" Sakura clutched the flowers to her chest and closed her eyes, dreaming of Sasuke and hers' mating ceremony.

It was ruined when someone gave her a crushing hug and ruined her flowers. "Gah, get off me, get off me, get off!" She shouted, slapping the person. She glared at them, then sighed as she realized who it was. "Lee, what are you doing?"

Lee, the Spring God, rubbed his sore cheek. "I saw you looking so beautiful I just had to hug you!" Lee grinned.

"You ruined my flowers!" She shouted, pointing at the trashed flowers on the floor.

Lee looked down, and then flushed in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, my beautiful Sakura. I should do 2,000 pushups to make up for this tragedy." He ran off before Sakura could say anything else.

Sakura sighed as she looked solemnly down at her flowers. She had to do something about Lee. He obviously wasn't getting the hints she was sending him and even wouldn't take no for an answer after he confessed his love to her. '_Why is it that every guy likes me except the one I like?_' She thought.

Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~Line~

Kiba was looking up at Sasuke when he tripped over Lee doing pushups. Kiba peeled his face off the floor and glared at Lee. "What in the name of Tsunade are you doing?!" Kiba shouted.

"I have hurt my poor Sakura. I must punish myself." replied Lee without stopping. Kiba sighed in understanding, everyone knew of Lee's obsession with the Fall Goddess.

"How many this time?" Kiba asked, sitting up and crossing his legs.

"2,000." Lee replied.

"Dude, that's insane." Kiba said, a grin splitting his tattooed face.

"Nothing is insane when compared to love." Lee said, glancing up at Kiba.

"Huh." Kiba grunted. "I find it hard to imagine loving anyone that much."

Lee gasped. "But Kiba, my good friend, love is amazing. It fills you with energy and makes you want to run!" So saying, Lee jumped up and took off.

Kiba just watched as Lee ran off. '_I don't think there is any one to love me._'

Unknown to him, Shino, the Winter God, was thinking the same thing.

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 3: Solutions?

"**Talking"**

_**Thinking **_

"What do you mean I have to talk to the bastard?" screamed Naruto, his hands slamming on the table as he stood up.

The Day Court had gathered at the Hall at the request of Tsunade and was currently sitting down at a half circle with Tsunade in the middle. They knew that it was serious when Tsunade had greeted then with a glare and slight frown. They were right as she revealed that Jiraiya and her had been talking about the recent tension between the Day and Night Court (it took a great deal of willpower for her not to give Naruto the Look) and they thought it best if every God and Goddess was paired up to work on their relationship. The first to be paired up was Naruto and Sasuke. This was not well meet by Naruto, who was still upset and confused by his encounter with Sasuke the other day.

"Naruto, this is for the benefit of both of our Courts." Tsunade fixed him with her sternest glare. "And I'm not asking, I'm telling you brat. As soon as the Night becomes Day, you and Sasuke will spend the next twenty-four hours together and, until you two learn to get along, you will do this once every week. That goes for all of you." Tsunade turned her gaze at the rest of her Court and she held back a smirk as everyone else flinched slightly. Turning back to Naruto, she let her smirk loose. "Are we clear brat, or do I need to persuade you a little more?" Naruto paled slightly as he remembered the last time she _persuaded_ him. Even his amazing healing ability couldn't heal the bump for a couple of days.

Naruto leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, grumbling about the horrible day he was going to have tomorrow. Ino rolled her eyes at him. "Please Naruto; you get to spend twenty-four hours with _Sasuke_. I would kill to be in your shoes."

Naruto glared at her. "Then please kill me." He received a whack on the back of his head.

Ino gave him a scowl before flipping her long blonde hair behind her shoulder and turning excited eyes to Tsunade. "So who am I paired up with? Please tell me it isn't big forehead. I can already tell you, she isn't going to survive a day with me. Maybe Neji? He is cute, though nowhere near Sasuke's level." Ino didn't see Gaara's glare as she continued rambling, but Tsunade did. _Good, maybe there is hope for them yet, _she thought before clearing her throat, effectively stopping Ino's one sided conversation.

"Actually, Ino, you're going to be paired with Shikamaru."

There was a slight pause before it was Ino's turn to stand up and screech "What?!"

Everyone slightly jumped and Tsunade had to clear her ears before she was able to speak, which was cut off by Ino. "No, no, no way. I refuse. I refuse to spend even a hour, no a minute, with that lazy-ass, poor excuse for a God. Even Sakura would be better than him! How could you do this, I mean rea-"

"Ino, shut up and sit down." roared Tsunade. Ino squeaked before she complied, her eyes staring widely at Tsunade. It was rare for Tsunade to yell at anyone besides Naruto and that was usually like a mortal mother yelling at her son. "I don't want anyone else to complain, got it!" Everyone quickly nodded. Tsunade rubbed her temples. _These immortals are going to be the death of me_, she thought.

She was brought out of her morbid thoughts by Naruto's snicker and the sound of what she was sure was Ino hitting Naruto. _Yep, I am going to die_. Tsunade decided she was going to need a drink before she can continue. After a large gulp of the wine she conjured she continued. "Ino, you **will** be paired up with Shikamaru. No arguments. Gaara, you will be paired up with Neji." Gaara's eyes widened, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. "Lee, you're with Sakura." Lee jumped up, no doubt to give a speech about his joy at spending time with his lovely Sakura, but was stopped by Tsunade's glare and sat back down. "Kiba, you're with Shino." Kiba was confused by who that was. "And, Iruka, you're with Kakashi." Iruka paled considerably. "Oh, and Temari, you're with Tenten." Tsunade added like it was an afterthought. Temari just smirked. Tsunade and her both knew that she wouldn't be spending tomorrow with Tenten. She, Tenten, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had planned these little meetings in hope that it would bring the wondering mates closer together. Tenten and she were assigned to spy on the other Gods and Goddess to make sure that the meetings were going well. And to maybe smack some sense into them. "Are we clear?" Everyone nodded, although a bit reluctantly. "Good. You're dismissed."

There was grumbling as the group did as they told, except for Temari. When she heard the door shut, Temari leaned back and put her feet on the table. "Well, that went slightly better than expected. " She smirked as Tsunade sent a scathing look her way. "Look, I'm sure that once they meet and actually talk, they'll realize that they were meant for each other and we could all live happily ever after."

Tsunade sighed. "If only it was that simple."

**Sorry that this is so short. I'm having a little bit of trouble with writer's block, but I promise that the next chapter will be longer.**


	5. Chapter 4: Meetings- Naruto and Ino

"Damn Tsunade and her crazy plans," muttered Naruto as he made his way across the sky. "Now I have to waste the whole day with that bastard." Naruto was trudging to the point where the Moon God and he usually meet, expect this time, instead of the two parting ways, Sasuke was going to follow him around. For the next twenty-four hours.

Naruto sighed and looked down, past the slowly floating clouds and down where he was passing a village. Naruto watched as mortals started waking up and taking care of their crops. Naruto often wished he could go down and walk among them, talk to them, play and laugh with them. '_No_.' Naruto shocked his head, hard. '_Never again, Naruto. Never again._'

"Dobe." For once, Naruto was glad to hear the obnoxious voice of the Moon God as he had something else to focus on beside the slight ache of loneliness.

Looking up from the mortal realm, Naruto glared at the darker God. Sasuke had stopped a few feet away and was smirking down at Naruto. Naruto just sneered at him before pushing past and stomping his way to the middle of the sky. Naruto couldn't hear if Sasuke was following and didn't care.

Once there, Naruto tried to calm down. He didn't want to be mad for the rest of the day, but Sasuke just made him so mad! Naruto honestly didn't know what it was about the Moon God that got him worked up. First, it was just that the bastard was annoying and stuck up. Then, because they were rivals for the hand of Sakura (at least Naruto thought they were). Now, they just seemed to be fighting for the sake of fighting. And, Naruto realized as he glared down at the Mortal Realm, he didn't want to fight with Sasuke. Maybe Tsunade was right to call for this meeting. Taking a deep breath, Naruto glanced back to where Sasuke was. '_I'm going to make you talk to me, teme. Even if we end up fighting, I'll make you tell me what's wrong and I'm going to fix our relationship._' Naruto thought with determination.

But when Sasuke finally reached him, he didn't know how to start. Sasuke wasn't from the Day Court; Naruto just couldn't come up and ask him 'what in the name of Tsunade is wrong with you?' Apparently, that's not the way those in the Night Court work (which Naruto found annoying). Then again, Naruto wasn't one to beat around the bush. He found it really frustrating and unhelpful. What was a God supposed to do?

"Don't you know that thinking is bad for dobes?" Sasuke said a slight smirk on his face.

"I'm not stupid, teme! I can think all I want!" Naruto shouted then stuck his tongue out. Then he blushed at how stupid he sounded. By the way Sasuke's smirk grew, Sasuke thought so too. "Shut up!"

"Hn." A cloud floated up and made a chair for Sasuke to sit down. "So, what do dobes think about anyways?"

'_Bingo!_' Naruto thought. He glanced sideways at Sasuke before saying "Why certain temes are acting so weird."

Sasuke sighed. "What are you talking about, dobe?"

Naruto too made a cloud chair before sitting down and turning to face Sasuke. "Come on, Sasuke. You've been acting weird lately. Even I noticed." At Sasuke's blank stare, it was Naruto's turn to sigh. "The dinner, remember, two months ago. Most of the time, yeah I deserve the insults you throw my way, but that night." Naruto's voice grew smaller. "That night, you really hurt me. And the other day, you hurt me too."

The two Gods fell into awkward silence. Naruto fidgeted, looking everywhere but at Sasuke, and Sasuke just stared at him. Finally, Naruto heard some rustling before a strong hand grabbed his chin and jerked it to meet Sasuke's deep black eyes. For some reason, Naruto's breath hitched and his heart started pounding. And, for a crazy second, he thought Sasuke was going to kiss him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." And suddenly the hand was gone and Sasuke's head turned to stare at the mortals. Naruto stared at Sasuke, his emotions swirling. He was happy, because he was sure that he was the only one to get an apology from the cold God, but he was also confused as to why he would think that Sasuke of all people would _kiss_ him. There was also a slight mix of disappointment, why, Naruto had no clue. Was he disappointed that Sasuke didn't kiss him? That would mean he wanted Sasuke to kiss him, right? But Sasuke and he were rivals. They barely tolerated each other.

With these new thoughts running through his head, Naruto turned to watch the Mortals at work.

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"Why does Naruto get to be the lucky one and hang out with Sasuke?" Ino whined as she danced across the trees. As the Goddess of Summer, during the summer, she traveled the mortal realm, making sure all was going the way she planned.

"Troublesome Goddess." Grumbled a sleepily Shikamaru as he floated behind Ino. Ino glared at him.

"And why am I stuck with you?" Ino complained. So far all the lazy bum has done was call her a 'troublesome Goddess' and try to sleep in the tree, which was slowing her down. It was really starting to annoy her. As if she wasn't already annoyed. "Come on, Shikamaru, I have to check crops and trees." Again, Ino dashed ahead and, after realizing that Shikamaru had, once again, fell asleep, she dashed back to grab him by the collar and drag him along. Shikamaru gave a small bout of protest, but didn't try to stop the running women.

"Really, Ino, why are you in such a rush? The crops and trees aren't going anywhere." Shikamaru griped. Ino stopped and turned around to give her scariest scowl.

"Do you think this is a joke, Shikamaru? Is my job a joke to you? We can't all just lie around and sleep, now can we?" Ino yelled, her face turning red.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

"No, I don't." Ino growled.

"Can I ask why?"

"Because you don't believe in love!" Ino yelled, before slapping a hand across her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that.

"Troublesome Goddess." Ino was so focused on berating herself that she missed the fact that Shikamaru was getting closer to her. So it came as a complete surprise when lips brushed against hers. "Maybe you should give me something to believe in."

Nonchalantly, Shikamaru walked past the stunned Goddess. Ino stood there before bringing her hand up to her lips. '_What just happened?_'


	6. Chapter Five: Meetings-Gaara and Sakura

Gaara stood, glaring at the people that ran through his sand. Thanks to Ino and Naruto, Gaara guessed, and how their meetings were going, today was an extremely hot day. Hot days meant that mortals flocked to the nearest water source. Unfortunately, this included beach, which happened to have sand. Normally, on days like this, Gaara would just go to the desert where it is always quiet, but, thanks to Tsunade, he had to be with Neji at all times. This was the only reason why he was sitting through this torture.

'_Speaking of, where is Neji?_' Gaara swerved his head around, but the Ocean God was nowhere to be found. '_Well, this sucks. The one reason why I even stay here and he disappears._' Gaara pouted (through he would never admit it).

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the beach. Mortals were running and screaming, grabbing at their young ones. Gaara just looked on, annoyed. '_More noise_.' He thought irritably. After a few minutes of chaos, the beach was clear. '_At least there's no more noise_.'

"Gaara, over here." When Gaara looked where he heard Neji's voice and realized why the mortals had run. Neji was in the water, riding on a shark. 'Oh, Tsunade.' Gaara thought, rolling his eyes. 'What is he doing?'

"What are you doing, Neji?" Gaara asked.

Neji jumped off the shark and made his way over to Gaara. Flashing him a smile, Neji flopped down onto the sand. "You looked so uncomfortable with all the mortals running around, so I decided to fix that."

A warm feeling settled in Gaara's chest. "You're in a good mood today."

"Well, I figured that, after spending twenty-four hours with Sasuke, Naruto is going to be in a bad mood. And I'm just the God to cheer him up."

'Well there went the good feeling.' Gaara thought bitterly. Before he could stop himself he blurted out angrily "What do you see in Naruto?" Neji looked at him in surprise and Gaara tried to cover up his blunder. "I-I mean, why do you like him? Is he really that special? Just so I can understand better."

Neji seemed to think about this. "Well, for one, he's beautiful. His tan skin and deep blue eyes. So gorgeous." Gaara swore he saw a little drool run down Neji's chin. "Plus, he pulled me through a rough time with Sasuke when I thought he looked down on me."

Gaara remembered that incident. Neji was upset that Sasuke could so easily control how his ocean's moved. Sasuke really didn't care that Neji was upset. And Naruto was the one who talked Neji through his anger. '_But then, so did I._' or at least Gaara was there for moral support (according to Naruto). This was when Naruto wouldn't leave Gaara alone, so Neji had to talk with Gaara there. '_So I guess that doesn't really count._' Gaara sighed and looked out over the ocean. "To want a different future, you have to change it. That's what he said right?" Neji looked cursorily at Gaara while Gaara was lost in thought. 'So far, it looks like the future holds Neji mating Naruto. I don't want that future. So I should change it, right?' Gathering all the courage he could, Gaara bent down and kissed Neji. Then he disappeared before Neji could react.

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"Sakura, my one true love," Lee shouted, making Sakura's eye twitch. "We must celebrate our youthfulness. Come, let us celebrate."

"Lee, for the last time, I have work to do. Ino will be done anytime and I need to be prepared. So, can you please be quiet." Sakura shouted that last bit. Lee instantly looked crestfallen and Sakura felt bad. Sighing, Sakura relented. "Fine. How do you want to celebrate?" Lee instantly perked up.

"I was thinking that we could go have a picnic." Lee said, a giant grin splitting his face.

"A picnic?" Sakura asked deadpan. She was the Goddess of Fall and no one takes picnics in the fall. But at Lee's disappointed face, Sakura relented.

And, to her amazement, it wasn't horrible. Lee packed all her favorite food and they sat underneath a cherry blossom tree (Lee said it was so he can look at how both his Sakura's bloomed). After their meal, Lee said he was determined to catch her a butterfly and Sakura had a great laugh at Lee's many failed attempts. Afterwards, she had to assure him it was ok and no, he didn't need to do 1,000 laps.

"You know Lee, this wasn't half bad." Sakura said, smiling at Lee.

Lee looked shyly at her. "Does that mean you would like to do it again?"

Sakura stopped abruptly. Sure, she had a great time, but… her heart still belonged to Sasuke. She had been obsessed with Sasuke since she first laid eyes on him. Likewise, Lee had been obsessed with her since he first laid eyes on her.

"Lee…Look I-" She was cut off.

"I know Sakura, you like Sasuke. Just give me a chance." Sakura made the mistake of looking at Lee, who had turned his puppy dog eyes on her. Thinking it over, Sakura gave in.

"Fine, one date." Sakura had to cover her ears from the loud whoop Lee gave off. Suddenly, lips descended on hers and Sakura blinked in surprise as Lee ran off, probably to plan the 'perfect' date. For a split second, Sakura was angry. '_He stole my first kiss!_' Then she brought her hand to her lips and blushed. '_But it wasn't bad._'


	7. Chapter Six: Meetings- Kiba and Iruka

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

** "Talking"**

** 'Thinking'**

Kiba was racing through the forest, his creatures on his tail. Wolves panted at his heels, birds dove through trees, and the forest comes alive. Kiba loved when he could run like this. He felt so alive at times like this.

Suddenly, he felt sluggish and tired. He was hit with a wave of cold. Slowing, he blinked and looked around, when he spotted a dark figure hiding in the trees. '_That's right. I have to spend time with him_.' Kiba thought, snarling a bit.

When he first heard that was to spend the next twenty-four hours with the Winter God, he wasn't as upset as Ino and Naruto, mainly because he didn't know the Winter God that well. That changed in the first five minutes they meet. As soon as he neared him, Kiba felt a wave of tiredness hit him and he suddenly felt like Shikamaru. It took him a moment to remember that, duh, winter was the time that most of his creatures hibernated. Scared and angry that someone could have this power over him, Kiba yelled at Shino than ran away. He had been running for the past hour and, as always when he ran, all thoughts disappeared and he just felt. Now the emotions of before rushed back in and Kiba suddenly felt embarrassed. He just acted like an idiot in front a complete stranger. And it was even worse when all Shino did was just stare at him.

Fidgeting, Kiba muttered "Sorry… you know… about before. I wasn't thinking." Kiba was staring at his shoes so he didn't notice that Shino was moving. A pale hand grabbed his chin and lifted his head up so he was staring at the weird glasses that Shino wore all the time. Those glasses unnerved, because he couldn't see what emotions they showed.

As they stood there, Shino holding his chin and Kiba staring at him, Kiba's face was starting heating up, though he didn't know why. What is Shino going to do? Why was he just staring at him? '_OMG, is Shino going to kiss me?_' Kiba was really starting to freak out and Shino must have seen that because he dropped Kiba's chin and walked past him. Suddenly, Kiba felt colder than before, but he was instantly warmed when he heard Shino mutter "You look cute when you let go."

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"Come back, my dear Iruka, we have _sooo_~ much to learn about each other!"

At the sound of the other God's voice, Iruka ran faster. He did not want to be anywhere near Kakashi at all. Iruka was the God of Love, which meant that wanted a mate that was after love also. Kakashi was not that mate. He was the God of Sex, which meant he was after one thing. But no matter how hard he tried to explain this to Kakashi, Kakashi just ignored him. No, here he was, stuck with Kakashi for the next twenty-four hours. What was a poor God to do?

"Iruka, come back!" Kakashi shouted.

Iruka glared back at Kakashi. "No! Leave me alone." But no matter how hard he ran, Kakashi eventually caught up and tackled him. Iruka thrashed around, but Kakashi was stronger. He eventually pinned Iruka down. "Let me go, Kakashi!"

"Why won't you give me a chance?" Iruka stopped at the hurt he heard in Kakashi's voice. Why would Kakashi care? He just wanted sex. He could get that somewhere else.

Angrily, Iruka glared up at Kakashi. "You know why. I don't want to be someone's sex toy. I want a mate."

"How do you know that I'm not your mate?" Kakashi asked. Iruka opened his mouth to reply to that, but closed it at the glare he received. Kakashi had never glared at him before. With a start Iruka realized that Kakashi might be serious. "How do you know all I want is sex? Yeah, I'm the God of Sex and yeah, I'm a pervert, but I also have emotions. Every time I see you, I want to see your smile. I find it cute that you mother the other Gods and Goddess. I too want a mate. Don't you see," If Iruka didn't know Kakashi the way he knew him; he might have sworn he heard desperation in his voice, "I want you as my mate."

Kakashi and Iruka stared at each other as Iruka thought it over. Kakashi sounded so sincere, but that didn't mean anything. '_But what's the harm of trying?_' Iruka mulled this over, before looking Kakashi in his eye (since the other was covered by his mask) and leaning up to give him a small, chaste kiss. "Fine, you get one date. Don't mess this up, Kakashi."

Thanks to that black mask, Iruka missed the small smile that Kakashi sported.

**Please review. I apologize for my last two chapters not having any author's notes. Also, if you haven't guessed, these characters might seem a little OC. They will probably be like that for the rest of the story.**


	8. Chapter Seven: Confusion and Joy

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy and please review.**

"**Talking"**

'**Thinking'**

Tsunade looked over her Court, frowning. No one was fidgeting, fighting, or complaining. Everyone just sat there, staring off into space, their eyes blank as they thought long and hard about something. The only one smiling was Lee. Tsunade's frown deepened. She had often wished that her court would conduct meetings like they did in the Night Court, no one talking unnecessarily loud and business getting done quickly and peacefully. But after a few minutes of this dead silence and mumbled "Yeah's" and "No's", Tsunade had had enough. She wanted her loud, obnoxious, always fighting, and always complaining Court back. And what was worse was the guilt she felt, because she knew it was her fault. For once in her very long life, Tsunade was questioning if she had made the right decision in forcing the Courts together.

'_No._' Tsunade thought, mentally shaking herself, '_I can't let myself think that way. Temari said they were making progress. The meetings will continue._' But at what price? That was the doubt that constantly ran through her mind.

Ino glared at the table. 'How dare he!' she fumed. 'How dare he steal my first kiss!' After getting over the shock of anyone but Sasuke kissing her, she had tracked down Shikamaru and proceed to beat him senseless. Luckily, Temari had been close by and had dragged Ino off him, transporting her back to the Immortal Realm. Ino had kicked and cuss, but eventually, she calmed down enough to realize what she had been doing. Then she thanked Temari and burst into tears.

Ino considered herself a strong Goddess; she could fight as well as the Goddess of War, Tenten, and Tsunade often sought her for advice. But no matter how strong she was, in that instant, she felt as weak as a Mortal Child. She couldn't stop crying! And she didn't know why! Temari tried to comfort her, but eventually gave up and called Naruto. Naruto, who had seen the few other times Ino broke down, just held her, rocking her back and forth while she ruined his shirt. And when Ino had finally calmed down, Naruto didn't pry, trusting that Ino would eventually tell him.

Ino smiled briefly at how good of a friend Naruto was before her confusion and anger wiped it off.

At first, she had thought that she was just angry at Shikamaru. Ino had learned from mortal women, in her few visits to the Mortal Realm, that the first kiss was important and magical. Ino had wanted her first kiss to be with her mate, and since she assumed Sasuke was her mate, she had always pictured it to be with Sasuke. She had imagined so many different scenarios, but now that was all ruined.

So yeah, she was mad at Shikamaru. But as the day passed and the Moon shone brightly in the sky, she found herself thinking more and more about Shikamaru and less and less about Sasuke. She even caught herself pressing her fingers to her lips and comparing what his taste was.

'Nothing in the Mortal or Immortal Realm I can think of.' Ino thought. '_Gah! There I go again. What's wrong with me?!_' Ino scowled. '_What would Sasuke think if he caught me thinking about another man?_'

'_Probably nothing since he hardly notices you anyway._' Her treacherous brain supplied. '_Not the way Shikamaru notices._' Ino growled in frustration, ignoring the looks the others gave her. She balled her fist in her hair and wished that banging her head against the table would damage that part of her mind.

Naruto looked over at his friend, concern written all over his face. He was worried about Ino. Sure, Naruto has seen Ino cry a few times, but they were usually short as was her recovery time. Yesterday…yesterday was something he never saw before. And seeing Ino now, so depressed, was making Naruto think he should have forced Ino to tell him what was wrong. But no, he had faith that Ino would eventually tell him what was bothering her so. But he was still worried, and grew even more so when Tsunade dismissed everyone and Ino stomped off. Naruto went to follow her, but stopped himself. Something told him that Ino needed to figure this, whatever it was, on her own.

So Naruto sighed and moved in her opposite direction. While his mind was busy worrying over Ino, his body decide to walk on its own.

"Dobe, what are you doing here?"

Naruto gave a start, Sasuke's voice bringing him out of his thoughts. While he was lost in thought, he had unknowingly walked to where Sasuke sat, shining his light onto the Mortal Realm. Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. Naruto didn't know why, but he was feeling awkward around the Moon God. He didn't feel this way yesterday, while the two talked, although he did feel a bit silly for thinking that the other god would kiss him. But now, squirming under the other's dark questioning gaze, he felt like any move he made was being judged. Mumbling an apology, Naruto started to back out.

Sasuke sighed. "Come on, Dobe. You could sit by me." He saw Naruto hesitated, and smirked. "Too afraid to be near me?"

Naruto bristled and stomped over to Sasuke, ignoring the happy feeling he had that Sasuke wanted him there. And Naruto was too busy hiding his smile to notice the one that sat on Sasuke's lips.

**Please Review. And thank you, those you had read and reviewed this story. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but I am getting ready for finals and graduation, so please be patient. And thank you again.**


	9. Chapter Eight: Moving Along

**I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, but this is the longest chapter I've written so far, so I hope this makes up for it. I'll try to update sooner for now on. **

'_What are you doing, Ino? Why are you hiding behind a tree? It's not that big of a deal, just go out and talk to him._' Ino thought as she, once again, peeked out from her hiding place to look at the other God. Shikamaru was, understandably, hiding out on the Mortal Realm as he 'waits for that troublesome Goddess to calm down' (at least that's what Naruto told her when he stopped by to ask what's wrong with the Sleep God). When Ino heard that the guilt settled in. She did, kind of, beat up the God for a 'harmless act' (according to Naruto when Ino finally broke down and told him what happened, though Ino still claims she was defending her honor) and, while her pride was screaming no, she knew the right thing to do was to apologize.

Ino took a deep breath. '_You can do this. It's not that hard. Just go up to him, say you're sorry, then disappear as fast and as far away as possible. Simple, really._' But no matter how convincing her head made it sound, her feet wouldn't listen and they refused to move. For some reason, her heart was beating rapidly and her stomach was turning when she thought about facing the other God. It actually took her awhile to figure out what was wrong, because she had never been nervous in her entire existence. Ino took another breath to settle her nerves.

"What are you doing?"

And promptly let it out in a short scream as she swung her fist, which connected with a solid _thump_. Ino blinked down at the slumped over body, which was muttering things like 'troublesome' and 'pain in the ass'. Finally recognizing the spiky hair tied back, her cheeks flushed as embarrassment flooded her. "I-I-I'm sorry! You scared me!" Ino bent down to check for any injuries, but soon realized why Shikamaru had his eyes close, and it wasn't because he was in pain. Ino's eyes twitched as the sound of light snoring reached her ears. "You jerk! I thought I seriously hurt you! And to think I wasted my time worrying about apologizing to you!" Ino huffed, and was about to stomp off before a hand grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. Ino tried to ignore the chills his touch gave her and settled for glaring down at the God.

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm sorry. I never could pass up the chance to sleep. It's in my nature." Ino could understand that and her eyes softened. A slight smile cracked Shikamaru's face as he admired her eyes. He had always been fascinated by Ino's eyes, whether they were bright with passion or clouded with concern. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he let Ino help him up. The two stood in awkward silence for a few minutes and Shikamaru feared that she would leave again. So he did something he never thought he would do. He started a conversation. "So you, uh, came here to apologize?"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because Ino's eyes flashed and her lips tightened. She stared down at her feet, which couldn't seem to stop moving, and mumbled "Yeah." Hating to see Ino look so down, Shikamaru racked his brain for anything that he could say. But while he might be a genius at strategizing, he was a complete moron when it came to talking to other Gods. The only thing he could come up with was "You don't need too."

Ino looked at him in shock. "What?"

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to fidget. "Well, yeah, I don't blame you for hitting me. I kind of stepped out of line, kissing you and all." To be honest, he didn't know why he did it. All he knew was that he was tired of hearing Ino and Sakura, mostly Ino, talk about how Sasuke was their mate when it was clear to everyone else that Sasuke showed no interest in them what so ever. So that day, when she accused him of not being able to love, he wanted to prove her wrong. In fact, his whole being was set on proving her wrong. He didn't even think about what he was doing, which was rare for him. He just acted on instinct. But, no matter how much it hurt afterwards, he didn't regret it. Ino had tasted nice and her lips had been soft, softer than anything he had ever slept on, which included clouds. Kissing her had sent a shock through him and he could honestly say he would waste the energy it took if he could do it again.

Ino didn't know what to say. She hadn't been expecting that. Actually, she didn't know what she expected, probably something along the lines of him making her gravel for his forgiveness. Ino felt something in her chest warm as she gained some respect for the Sleepy God.

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'_I'm an idiot_.' Gaara thought angrily, solemnly kicking the sand. '_A complete idiot. More so than even Naruto. Which is saying a lot._' Gaara had been hiding out in one of the deserts on the Mortal Realm ever since he made the stupid to decision to _kiss_ Neji, only coming out when Tsunade called for it. Gaara knew it was cowardly, but he didn't think he could face the Water God ever again, not after _that_. He was even willing to face Tsunade's wrath for not attending the required meetings than to be forced together with Neji again. '_What are you going to do?_' His mind whispered. '_Hide in the deserts forever?_'

"I don't know." Gaara answered out loud.

"Don't know what?" A voice answered behind him.

Gaara squeaked and spun around. And standing there, smirking at him, was the last being in both realms he wanted to see. Gaara blushed as bright as his hair, his stomach turning as he glared at Neji, but his heart fluttered at something different. No matter what he said or told himself, he was glad he kissed Neji, finally succeeding in the only thing he had longed for in his long life.

"What are doing here?" Gaara asked sourly.

Neji's smirk slowly faded off his face as he tried to come up with an answer. Truthfully, he didn't know why he was here, just that he couldn't seem to get Gaara's kiss out of his mind. It had been bothering him these pass couple of days. It was annoying, not just because he had been kissed by Gaara, of all Gods, but because he had liked it! It was better than anything he had ever imagined with Naruto and for some reason he wanted more. Neji had wondered if this is what the mortals meant when they talk about being addicted.

"Well? I'm waiting for an answer." Gaara said impatiently, breaking Neji from his thoughts and forcing him to concentrate on Gaara.

Neji didn't know what made him do it. All that ran through his mind was how cute Gaara looked pouting.

Gaara was caught completely off guard. One minute Neji was standing in front of him, the next, he was bending Gaara over and smashing their lips together. Gaara was too surprised to fight him and after a bit, he didn't try. He just wrapped his arms around Neji's neck and kissed back.

Shock waves ran through Neji's body as he felt Gaara's answering lips open up for him and he pressed his advantage. His tongue wasted no time in mapping out Gaara's cavern before engaging in a short battle. He felt Gaara shiver underneath him and that was the last thing he remembered before everything went black.

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Sakura hadn't expected it. She really hadn't expected that she would actually _like_ being with Lee for more than five minutes. She was sure that she would have to cover her ears from his brash voice the entire time or to have to calm him down when something went wrong. But it was the exact opposite of that. Sure, he was as loud as always and seemed to be easily distracted by humans, but after a while, his excitement rubbed off on her. She could understand the way he saw the world, not in the dark as Sasuke did the few times he talked to her, but full of light and energy. She could really understand why he was the Spring God. And to see him try so hard to please her, it was actually kind of cute. Sakura had more fun on the date than she thought she would and her opinion of him was slowly changing.

The two had returned back to the Mortal Realm and were slowly walking towards Sakura's domain, talking about what she had planned for the coming Fall season. Lee enjoyed the way Sakura's eyes lit up and how her cheeks flushed and how excitedly she talked. Lee knew she was a passionate person, but he rarely got to enjoy it because that passion was usually directed towards the Moon God. Lee glanced up slightly from Sakura and noticed the tall trees painted in gold and red coming up, the first sign that they had almost reached Sakura's domain. Lee looked back down nervously at Sakura. He didn't want to be too bold, not after she seemed to finally be accepting him, but all he could think about was kissing those plush lips of hers. He had always wondered, from the moment he met her, what they would feel and taste like, and this might be his only chance, if he couldn't convince her to go on another date with him. But if he did kiss her, she might think him a bad kisser or too pushy and it might ruin whatever chance he might have with her. Lee's bushy eyebrows narrowed in confusion and anxiety. '_What do I do?' _He thought.

"So I was thinking of asking Naruto to- Lee are you alright?" Sakura asked, noticing the pained look on Lee's face. Suddenly Lee stopped in front of her, putting his hands out to stop her too. "Lee?"

"SAKURA, IF I MAY BE SO BOLD AS TO DO SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE." Lee shouted, his eyebrows knotting even closer together until they looked like one single brow.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and frowned, not liking the sound of that. Her fists clenched and she was about to unleash them upon Lee before she remembered that is was Lee and he would never do anything disgusting. Plus, she could always beat him up later. Sakura gave him a warning look before nodding her head in agreement.

What she was expecting, she didn't know, but it was nothing she got. Which was a small kiss.

On the cheek.

Lee pulled back, happy to have come to a comprise inside his head before he noticed the angry look on Sakura's face.

"What was that?!" She shouted.

Lee's face fell. She didn't like it. All his hopes dashed. "I'm sorry Sakura, I knew you wouldn't like it, but I thought I might at least try-" Lee stopped abruptly as soft, pink lips covered his own. All he could do was blink.

After a second, Sakura pulled away. "Never just kiss a girl on the cheek." With that she calmly walked in her forest, then, making sure Lee couldn't see her, burst into an embarrassed fueled run.

And all Lee could do was stand there, staring at the spot Sakura had been and thinking '_That was unexpected._'

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Shino watched, as he had for thousands of years, as Kiba ran around the world with various creatures joining him. He sat, transfixed, in his domain, as Kiba leaped from tree to tree, Naruto's light breaking through the leaves to highlight the feral grin on Kiba's face. How Shino longed for that grin to be aimed at him. How many years has he sat, in the same spot, just staring into the Mortal Realm and watching the other God. How he wished he was the birds that could freely fly by Kiba's side, or one of the lions or wolves that Kiba loved to pet. To even just be an insect that Kiba would allow to sit on him.

'_Too many years._' He thought. He had always longed for the other God, but had kept himself from actually reaching out to him. He wanted Kiba to be free and wild, not the docile creature he became whenever he neared Shino. He felt like he was taking advantage, and he feared Kiba would hate him for it. So he settled for a life of watching from the distance.

Until the announcement form Jiraiya came, forcing Kiba and him to be together. Finally, maybe a chance to get closer to the one he holds most dear. He had been overjoyed, till the actual meeting came. As soon as Kiba yelled at him, all his fears had been realized. He stood there frozen as Kiba ran away, disappointment and hurt crashing into his fragile heart and, after shaking himself from his stupor, vowed that he would catch up to Kiba, apologize, and promise to stay as far away from his as possible. And he would have done just that, if Kiba hadn't beaten him to it.

Shino couldn't believe what he was hearing, a part of him even thought it was a hallucination, and he had to touch the other God to make sure he was real. Just feeling Kiba's soft skin was better than anything he had imagined. Staring into Kiba's eyes, all he could think about was kissing him and the urge became even stronger watching the blush spread across Kiba's face. But before he could bend down, he felt Kiba freaking out. Not wanting to scare the other God, he let him go and walked off, but he couldn't help muttering a compliment. This seemed to please Kiba and they spent the rest of the meeting in the forest, talking. It was the best twenty-four hours of Shino's existence. And now, all Shino could do was think about the next meeting.

Suddenly, Kiba stopped and looked up. Shino swore Kiba was staring right at him, though he knew that that was impossible because he made sure he couldn't be seen. Though that faith was shaken when Kiba lifted a clawed hand and waved at him, his smile bright on his face. Shino weakly waved back, his heart pounding at the thought of Kiba _seeing_ him. Kiba's smile grew bigger, then he was off, racing around the world. Shino watched him, dazed.

"Maybe there is hope yet."

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Iruka nervously ran his hand through his hair, then cursed as the action pulled some hair loose from his ponytail. Kakashi was late, which was normal for him, but Iruka had, wrongly, assumed that Kakashi might show up on time for their _date_. Iruka scowled at the word. What in both realms had possessed him enough to agree to this soon to be catastrophe. But Iruka knew why, because Kakashi had used guilt and logic, a deadly combination, to convince him to agree. Plus, Kakashi had looked genially hurt. And, though it made him sound like a softie, Iruka could never stand the sight of anyone looking hurt.

Iruka sighed again, and turned slowly, trying to see if he could spot Kakashi. '_I'll give him five more minutes, and if he doesn't show up I'm going to le-GAHHH!_' Iruka internally freaked out as he was lifted from behind, the stranger picking him up mortal bridal style. Recognizing the soft laughter, Iruka glared up at Kakashi. "That wasn't funny." He muttered, crossing his arms.

The one eye Kakashi didn't hide behind his mask roamed over Iruka and stopped momentarily at the pout Iruka was sporting. '_So cute~!_' Kakashi thought. Mentally giving himself a slap, he reminded himself that he wasn't allowed to molest Iruka till he had convince Iruka to accept him as a mate. '_But that could take forever!_' His mind whined. '_No, I'm doing this for Iruka._' Kakashi thought sternly. Kakashi was brought back by a soft touch on his shoulder. Looking down, he noticed that it was Iruka poking him and the frown the other God had.

"Can you put me down now?" Iruka asked, his frown turning into a scowl. Kakashi wanted to scream 'No, I'll never put you down', but figured Iruka wouldn't take that well. So, reluctantly, he set Iruka down. Iruka pretended to dust himself off, before turning to Kakashi and asking "So, what do you have planned?"

"Well, there was this mortal invention I wanted to try. It's called 'Ice-cream'." Kakashi said, draping an arm across Iruka's shoulders and leading him in the direction of the 'Ice-cream'.

Iruka frowned at the arm, but was too confused about this mortal invention to say anything. "Ice-cream? What is that?"

Kakashi mentally cheered in the success of keeping his arm. "Well, the last time I was here, I heard these mortals talk about it. It's supposedly really good."

Iruka looked at Kakashi suspiciously. "Really?"

Kakashi smiled innocently. "Really." And the rest of the way was spent talking about the wonders of the ice-cream.

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Naruto hummed, smiling down at the Mortal Realm. He may or may not have been spying on Ino and Iruka, but he couldn't help it. He thought Shikamaru and Ino looked cute together, and, while he had a few reservations about Kakashi (alright, more than a few), but he thought that Kakashi might be good for Iruka. Even he, who had basically grew up under Iruka's wing, thought the Love God was a little too uptight. He hoped Kakashi might loosen Iruka up. His smile grew as he watch Iruka and Kakashi try the mortal food and made a mental note to try this ice-cream some time.

"Do all Day Court Gods smile like idiots, or is it just you?" came a cool voice.

Normally, anger would've burn bright and hot through his body by the insult, but for some reason, the sound of Sasuke's voice made his heart pound. That didn't stop him from spinning around to shot "Teme!"

Sasuke just smirked at the expected response, while he tried to beat down the warm feelings bubbling up in his chest. This has been going on for the past thousand years. It's why he tried so hard to piss the other God off. At first, it help distance himself from his 'feelings', though lately that hasn't been working. In fact, it seems to have the opposite effect. And it was even worse when he saw Naruto talking to Neji. His chest would burn and he tried to distance himself again, insulting Naruto, but it just made his chest feel even worse. Sasuke was a God and a warrior, he could fight and he could rule the Night, but emotions were just out of his forte.

"Sasuke? You ok?" Naruto's concerned voice brought him back to deep blue eyes and blinding yellow hair. Again, Sasuke was caught off guard by how beautiful the Sun God was. Naruto was usually so busy talking, all you could notice was his mouth.

'_Although, his mouth isn't that bad._' Sasuke found himself thinking, his eyes dropping down to Naruto's still talking mouth.

Naruto didn't know what the look on Sasuke's face was, but he felt suddenly a little like prey. So, he tried to fill the silence. But that really didn't work when another mouth swooped down on his. Naruto was too stun to really do anything, but Sasuke sure knew what he was doing. He coaxed Naruto's mouth open, giving him teasing licks and nips. Really, Naruto was just too powerless to do anything but to wrap his arms around Sasuke's neck and moan.

Sasuke didn't know what he was doing, but he knew he liked it. Naruto made the most delicious noises whenever Sasuke rubbed his tongue over a sensitive spot. And Sasuke was just really starting to get into it, when he felt another presence pop in.

"Naruto, it's terrible, Neji-"Ino gasped at the sight before her, Sasuke leaning over Naruto, their mouths attached. "I-I-I'll come back later." Ino immediately disappeared.

Naruto and Sasuke awkwardly untangled themselves. "I think, uh, I should check on Neji. Ino sounded worried." Naruto stuttered out, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Sasuke just nodded, too caught up in his thoughts on what happened to notice Naruto leaving.

Ino didn't know what to think or what she even walked in on. All she knew was that she felt confused and betrayed. And it felt like her heart was breaking.

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter Nine: Just a Little Mend

**Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

"**Talking"**

** 'Thinking'**

Gaara never thought of himself as the clingy type, actual he never thought of himself as the emotional type, but here he was, hovering over an unconscious Ocean God like a female chicken that has babies or a 'mother hen' or whatever the mortals call it. Whatever it was, he knew he was being it, but he couldn't help it. Immortals don't usually pass out, so something had to be wrong, right?

"Quit worrying, he's fine." Tsunade growled. Gaara hanging around to make sure Neji was ok was fine the first day, it even thrilled Tsunade because it meant that the two were getting closer, but by the fourth day, it had gotten annoying. No matter how many times she said that Neji was fine, Gaara would keep asking. It would probably help if Neji actually woke up.

Just as she thought that, the sounds of groans and moans reached their ears. They were in Tsunade's domain, in a house she had made to look like the modern western houses, and Neji was in one of rooms in the back. Mortals called it a bedroom, but since Immortals had no need for sleep, there was no bed, just a couch and chair that her court used when they needed to calm down. Before Tsunade could even make a move to go check up on him, Gaara had already transported back to where he was at. Tsunade just sighed and decided to walk back.

Neji had barely woken up from…whatever had happened before he was tackled by a frantic redhead.

"I was so worried." Gaara cried. "You just passed out and didn't wake up, even when I threw you in the ocean! I was so, so worried." And, even though he had promised himself that he would never ever shed a tear, especially on the Ocean God, he couldn't help but break down.

Neji felt helpless, he didn't know what to do, he had never seen another God cry before (he was pretty sure that even the word 'crying' was prohibited in the Night Court) so he had no idea how to handle Gaara's breakdown. All he could think to do was awkwardly hug Gaara and pat him on the back. But that just seemed to make the other cry harder! '_What do I do? What do I do?_' Neji thought, somewhat desperately. Luckily, he was saved by the creaking of the door as Tsunade walked in.

"Should I leave you two alone, then?" Gaara stiffened at the amusement that was clearly present in Tsunade's voice before sitting up and pushing Neji away in embarrassment, his face going nearly as red as his hair. Tsunade chuckled before walking to Neji. "You ok?" She asked him.

Neji nodded, he felt fine now. "What happened?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell us?"

Gaara frowned at her. "I told you what happened, we were in the desert and he fainted."

"Really?" The disbelief was almost touchable. Tsunade kept her eyes on Neji, who had started to squirm under her gaze. "Neji?" Neji's head snapped up and he forced himself to meet her eyes. "How long were you in the desert?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes, he didn't like being ignored. "We only talked for a few minutes."

"I was talking to Neji, Gaara, don't interrupt." Tsunade still hadn't turned to look at Gaara so she missed the glare he sent her. "Now, Neji, is that true? Were you only there for a few minutes _talking_?" She stressed the word talking to let them know that she knew they were doing more than just _talking_.

"Well..." Gaara slowly turned his head to stare at Neji, who was now staring at his hands and fidgeting. "You see, I, uhh, well I mean, I-I…a couple of days." The last part was mumbled, but of course the Immortals could hear it.

There was silence for a few minutes, then a loud _thump_. "Owe, Gaara, you didn't have to hit me so hard." Neji moaned, rubbing his head.

Gaara ignored him. "You idiot! What were you thinking! No, wait, let me guess, you weren't thinking, were you!"

"Gaara-"Neji tried to cut in.

"I mean, who stays in the desert for a couple of days if it's going to kill them?"

"Gaara-"

"A moron, that's who!"

"Gaara!" Gaara stopped in mid rant. "Thank you. Now, will you let me explain?" Gaara frowned before crossing his arms and nodding. Neji opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn't know how to explain. It was embarrassing.

"I would start talking, fast. Gaara was never one for patience." Tsunade said, her face saying she was clearly enjoying what was happing.

Neji sighed. There really was no way of getting out of this. "I…was trying to get up enough courage to come talk to you." He refused to meet Gaara's eyes.

Gaara just sat there, stunned. He didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to Gaara that maybe Neji was just as nervous to talk about the kiss as he had been. Suddenly, a deep rumbling started in Gaara's chest, then made its way to his throat, then burst out in uncontrollable laughter. He couldn't stop, even when both Tsunade and Neji gave him questioning looks. In fact, that seemed to make it worse.

"What's so funny?" Neji asked him grumpily.

"I'm-I'm sor-sorry." Gaara gasped out in between chuckles. "It's just that, I never thought that Neji, the great Ocean God, would be nervous."

Neji glared at him, then made a moved as if he was about to get up and walk away. Gaara grabbed his hand, stopping him. "No, please, stay." Gaara pleaded. "I didn't mean it as an insult. It's actually kind of nice to know that I wasn't the only one nervous." Gaara looked down, blushing.

The blush softened the look in Neji's eyes and he nodded, laying back down, though he didn't ask Gaara to remove his hand. Gaara took that as a good sign and softened his grip, till his hand was just laying on top of Neji's. Slowly, to make sure Gaara didn't misunderstand, Neji moved his arm up and twisted it, so that his hand laid underneath Gaara's. When Gaara's eyes met his, they were wide and questioning. Hesitating only a second, just to make sure this was what Gaara wanted, Neji nodded and spread his fingers wide, allowing Gaara's to fall into place, then he grasped his hand as if he would never let go. The two kept staring into each other's eyes, even when their heads started to fall closer together. Even when their lips were inches away. Even when Neji whispered, his words so close, Gaara could feel every word_. Do you want to go to a mortal beach, one where it will be only the two of us? _Gaara licked his lips, nodded once, then they closed the distance.

The kiss was short, chaste, and sweet, so different from the one they shared before. But it burned its way into both their immortal souls.

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Tsunade closed the door with a smile. Even if it hadn't happened the way she planned, she was happy for the two. She just hoped that everyone else could come together in a little less dramatic fashion. Though she had little hope for that.

**Please Review! Thank you.**


	11. Chapter Ten: Breaking Hearts

Naruto sighed again as he watched his sunlight dance on his palm. He was bored, sitting in his cloud chair. The Night Court had called a meeting to discuss Neji's collapse. It must have been a long discussion, because Naruto had to hold the Day three hours longer than usual, since Sasuke wasn't here to take his place. Not only was he bored, but he was worried about Neji (Tsunade won't be able to tell them what happened till the Night Court has been informed since that is Neji's court), and he was anxious to meet a certain Immortal. And, no matter how much he wish it was, he didn't mean Sasuke.

Ino had been avoiding him. He had tried to meet her several times in her domain to talk about the rest of summer and she had fled to the Mortal Realm. Then, when he tried to follow her, she went back to the Immortal Realm. Naruto knew it was serious when Ino hide out in Sakura's domain and asked her not to let him in.

Thinking about Ino made him think about the reason she was mad at him, Sasuke's kiss. Just thinking about it made Naruto blush. And the kiss brought too many emotions. Anger for one, of Sasuke kissing him without at least letting him know what he was going to do. But once the anger died down, he felt excited, and wonderful, and wanted, and so damn happy, he felt like he would burst. It made him want more, to feel Sasuke closer, to burn him alive with his addicting kisses. And that frightened Naruto, because he had never felt anything like this before, even when he thought he was in love with Sakura. It also left him confused, how could he go from hating (ok maybe not hate, but he certainly never liked the Moon God) to feeling something that felt a lot like love for the cold bastard. '_He certainly wasn't cold when I kissed him though. No, his lips sure were warm. And soft. And delectable. And demanding. And-no, no, no. I will not think about his lips, no matter how kissable they may be. Gah, there I go again._'

Shaking his head, he thought about the last emotion the kiss brought. Guilt. He was Ino's friend, he knew, though everyone knew, that she liked Sasuke. Even if he didn't agree with her (Naruto couldn't see how Ino didn't see that Sasuke wasn't interested), he was supposed to respect that. Respecting it meant not kissing the God she liked. Which he did. And she walked in on.

Naruto sighed and slumped more into the cloud he sat on. '_The worst thing_,' he couldn't help thinking, '_is that I don't regret the kiss. I may regret that Ino caught us kissing, but not the actual kiss._' And that, to someone as loyal as Naruto, made the guilt worse, because he was supposed to regret kissing his best friend's crush, right? But no, the kiss felt too right to regret, felt too much like how Iruka described how mortals felt when they fell in love.

'_Does this mean I love Sasuke? Or do I just think I love him, like I thought I loved Sakura?_'

Naruto was interrupted from thinking further on this question by the appearance of Ino. The two stared at each other, and, for the first time in thousands of years, there was an awkward silence between the two. Or maybe just Naruto felt it, because he was the only one to fidget. Ino just stood there, staring (or maybe she was glaring) at him.

"Well? You've been pestering me for the last couple of days, trying to get me to talk. So talk."

Naruto winced. He didn't realize, until Ino broke the silence, how _mad_ she was. To be honest, he didn't think she would be this mad, because he thought that she was starting to forget Sasuke in favor of Shikamaru. Guess he was wrong. Naruto opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was too shock on how mad she was.

It turned out that he didn't need to say anything, because Ino had plenty to say for both of them.

"No, how about I talk." Ino started pacing, stalking across the clouds like one of Kiba's lioness. "Do you even realize how heartbreaking it was for me to find my friend, my _best _friend, kissing my mate? No? Well, let me tell you." Suddenly, Ino spun around and pointed angrily at Naruto, who was sitting, stunned in his seat. "HOW COULD YOU?! How could you, Naruto, do that to me? Huh, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I-I-I-" was all Naruto could get out before Ino was off again.

"Of course you have nothing to say. What could you say, 'sorry, Ino, for ripping out your heart and stomping on it.' Like that could make up for what you did. But it's ok, I have the perfect solution."

"Y-you do?" Naruto stuttered out, still trying to catch up with what was happing. Something was defiantly wrong. They had had fights in the past before, and she had never gotten this ugly. Of course, he had never kissed her crush before.

Ino turned to smile at him, but it looked more like a sneer. "Of course, you just have to stay away from Sasuke."

Naruto blinked. "Stay away from Sasuke?" What was she talking about?

Ino nodded. "When you exchange the Day for Night, don't say anything to Sasuke, don't even look at him. Of course, I rather you not be near him at all, but since that's not possible, this will have to do. Oh, also don't even think about sitting near him at the dinners. Kay?"

Naruto slowly stood up, trying to be as non-threating as possible. Ino was clearly not thinking right, so he had to handle this carefully. "What about the meetings, Ino? I have to meet with him, on Tsunade's orders."

Ino laughed, not her usual laugh, no this had an ugly undertone. "Oh, Naruto. You just have to tell Tsunade that Sasuke and you are getting along now. Then you don't have to see him."

"But I don't want to stop seeing him." Naruto's eyes went wide when he realized what he just said. He didn't want to stop seeing Sasuke. Didn't want to not argue with the teme, didn't want to not get to know more about him, and didn't want to never feel his kiss again. _He didn't want to stop seeing Sasuke. _

Naruto started to smile even as Ino's eyes narrowed, because he just answered the question he had been asking himself before Ino arrived. When Sakura asked him to stop asking her out, he felt sadden, but it was nothing compared to the pained feeling in his chest at the thought of never talking to Sasuke again. That had to be love, right?

But the happy feeling of getting that question answered was short lived as Ino growled out, "What did you say?"

Naruto turned his attention back to the angry Goddess in front of him, his own eyes narrowing. He may be Ino's friend, but he wasn't going to let her control his life on the off chance that Sasuke did have some feelings for her. Mentally preparing himself, Naruto replied "I said, I don't want to stop seeing Sasuke."

Ino gapped at him. "How can you say that, Naruto? You know I love Sasuke."

Naruto shook his head. "Yes, but Sasuke doesn't love you back."

_Slap_. The two fell into silence, one disbelieving that Ino had actually hit him, the other riding the anger that boiled in her stomach. "How dare you say that!" Ino finally said.

Naruto turned his head back to her, finally getting angry. "How dare you hit me! I'm your friend"

"Were my friend." Ino spat out.

It felt like she had slapped him again. "How could you say that?"

"How could I? _How could I?_ How could you say that Sasuke doesn't love me? No friend of mine would ever say that to me."

"No, a friend would say that to another friend, if they thought that was the truth. And, whether you like it or not, it is the truth." Naruto ignore the hurt look that flashed across her face. She went too far now, no backing out. "Not once has Sasuke shown you any affection, not once had he acted like he even enjoyed your presence. Why can't you see that Ino? Why can't you see what I noticed, that the one who did those things was Shikamaru, not Sasuke?"

"Don't you _dare _you bring Shikamaru into this!" Ino screeched.

"Why shouldn't I? It's the truth, and the truth is something a friend will tell you, no matter how much you wish it wasn't true. And, no matter what you say, I am your friend."

The two had an angry stare down for a couple of minutes before it was broken, once again, by Ino. "You know what? Those villagers were right about you, you are a monster. If only I had listened then." With that, Ino disappeared, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Naruto gaped at the spot Ino was. '_Monster, she called me a monster._' It was the one word he never wanted to hear again. Suddenly, he was bombarded by flashbacks of angry faces, their sneering mouths hurling venom at him, their eyes filled with such hate, he had never seen so much hate before. '_No, no, no, no! The past is the past, I am not a monster, I am not a monster, I-I-I am n-n-n-not a m-m-m_' Naruto couldn't stop, the tears came hard and fast and he fell to his knees, curling up. All Naruto could feel was old pain, old fears, and old tears. The past came crashing back, crippling him till he was lost in his memories.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Mend a Little More

Kakashi had lived a long life, literally felt thousands of years go by, watched as the Moral Realm changed then changed again, and had seen countless beautiful things, but nothing could compare to watching the way Iruka's face lit up when he was laughing. Or when Iruka blushed at a perverted joke that he made. Or watching Iruka watch the mortals. Basically, nothing compared to Iruka.

The date had gone really well, as far as Kakashi could see (though, they had to extended to after meeting with Jiraiya to talk about Neji). They had decided to just walk around, visiting different place and eating different foods, and just talking. It was probably the first time they had actually talked. They talked about the Mortal Realm, the Immortal Realm, how relationships seem to be shifting, how they both thought Tsunade and Jiraiya were planning something, then just talked. It was nice, really nice.

Or it was, up till they were in one of the Mortal parks and Kakashi saw a couple kissing. Deciding to be impulsive, Kakashi bent down to kiss Iruka, but Iruka pulled away. Suddenly, Kakashi was tired. Tired of having Iruka question or dodge his every move, tired of chasing Iruka, just tired. "Maybe this was a bad idea." Kakashi mumbled, pulling away and planning on transporting somewhere else.

Iruka stopped him, putting a hand on his arm and pulling him back. "Sorry. I…I'm sorry."

"Iruka, you know I wouldn't do anything that you aren't comftorble with."

Iruka put his head down, his hand that was holding Kakashi's arm slowly falling into his lap. Kakashi didn't move, sensing the deep sadness coming from Iruka. "It's not that. It's just that…that" Suddenly, Iruka's shoulders started to shake as tears streaked down his face. He didn't know how long he cried, but he knew it was for a while and it wasn't until he pulled back that he realized Kakashi had pulled him into a hug. Suddenly embarrassed, Iruka tried to wipe the tears away. "I'm…I'm sorry. I don't usually cry."

A hand cupped his face and lifted it up so Kakashi could look into his teary eyes. "Never be ashamed to cry in front of me. I'll always be willing to hold you." Something in his chest loosened as he saw Iruka give a watery smile. He sighed. "You know, you don't have to tell me. Just to know that it isn't me is enough for now."

"No, no, I have to tell you." Iruka seemed to take a deep breath. "I want to tell you."

The two found their way to a bench and sat down, though they didn't immediately start to talk. Kakashi waited patiently as Iruka collected his nerves. Finally, after taking a few deep breaths, he started. "It wasn't that long ago actually. Just a couple hundred years ago. I was at restaurant, working on a couple. It was actually a pretty easy job, the two had been lifelong friends. All they needed was a push. Anyways, I just had to float around, pushing there, pulling here…anyways one of the few mortals that are able to see us was there and he watched me. Afterwards, he caught up to me as I watched them leave the restaurant and confronted me. I saw no harm in telling him that I was the Love God and he seemed cool with it. We…we just started talking. There's nothing wrong with talking with a mortal right?"

Kakashi didn't really think Iruka was talking to him, but he answered anyways. "Right."

Iruka took a shaky breath. "I should have known something was wrong. Mortals just don't take our presence lightly. But he seemed so nice and we just talked. Just talked." Iruka's voice seemed to trail off.

"Iruka?" Kakashi whispered. He didn't like the way this was going.

"I had sex with him, ok." Iruka started shaking again. "We talked, we got closer together, and we had sex."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Iruka. Everyone has sex, it's not unusual." Kakashi said, trying to calm Iruka down.

"It wasn't the sex."

Kakashi stared at Iruka, waiting for him to continue, but Iruka didn't, just stared at his hands. Finally, Kakashi said, "Then what was it?"

"We would meet once a week, at a spot we claimed as ours. Just to talk, you know. That's also the place we had sex." Iruka blushed as he said that last part. "But the week after we had sex, he wasn't there. I waited two hours and when he did show up, he was angry." Iruka's voice turned bitter. "Apparently, he thought that by having sex with me he would gain my powers and make another guy fall in love with him. He called me many things, how I was disgusting, a liar, not even human." Iruka gave an empty laugh. "He even tried to cut me. He's the one who gave me this scar." Iruka pointed to the line that went across his face.

Kakashi hesitantly touched it, running the tip of his finger from edge to edge. "Why do you keep it? You could easily heal this."

Iruka nodded, mentally shivering at Kakashi's gently touch. He had never let anyone touch his scar before. "I keep it as a reminder. I don't want to go through that again, Kakashi. I want to make sure the next person I have sex with is the one, my mate." Iruka looked away, sure that what he was saying sounded insane to the God of Sex.

But Kakashi caught his head before he could fully turn to hide his blush and smiled softly. "I understand and I can respect that." Chuckling at Iruka's look of disbelief, he continued. "This might sound terrible, but in a way, I'm relieved. Before, you had never reacted as you have when I made a pass at you. I was afraid that I had said or done something to make you turn away from me. That's way I tried harder to break down your wall. I wanted to make up for that."

Iruka surprised him with a hug. "Oh, Kakashi, no, I never wanted you to feel that way. I just wanted a bit of space." Iruka pulled back and gave Kakashi a look. "But did you really think that molesting me was the way to get me to open up."

Kakashi laughed and pulled Iruka to him. "I told you, sex is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, for some people, it's the only way to know how to express their love."

Iruka tried to pull back to see Kakashi's face, or what of it he could see around the weird mask Kakashi always wore. "Kakashi, are you trying to tell me that all this time, all the pats on my butt or the grabs for my crotch, were your way of saying that you love me?"

"…well when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous."

Iruka laughed, the sound warming Kakashi's chest and making it easier to bear the blush that was hid under his mask. "I don't know what to say to that, Kakashi."

"You don't have to say anything. I'll wait till the time you fall for someone else or, if possible, till the time I can heal this wound." Kakashi touched the scar again, making Iruka shiver.

The two sat for what seemed like hours, watching the mortals and not saying anything, just leaning against each other. Suddenly, Kakashi heard a mumble. "What?"

"I said, I hope there comes a time when I'll allow you to heal my wound." Iruka mumbled again, blushing for the thousandth time that night. Kakashi just smiled, pleased that they seemed to be heading in the right direction.

Suddenly, Iruka sat up. "Something's wrong."

Kakashi gave him a confused look. "What? I thought it was going well, unless you mean you want it to stop…"

"No, I mean, you got done with the meeting a couple of hours ago."

"Yeah?" Kakashi didn't get what Iruka was getting at.

"So, it should be night. Naruto had to extend so Sasuke could attend the meeting. If the meeting is done, then Sasuke should be in the sky, not Naruto."

Kakashi looked up at the sky, seeming to just noticed that, indeed, Naruto was shining as bright as ever. "Something is very wrong." He muttered.

"Iruka, Kakashi!" The two turned to find Sasuke there.

"Sasuke? Why are you here? Why aren't you in the sky?" Iruka asked, very worried now as he glanced over Sasuke. The Moon God was not one to show emotion, but there was clearly worry and fear written all over his face. Iruka was just about to ask what was wrong, before Sasuke stopped him.

"Something is wrong with Naruto."

Kakashi and Iruka looked at each other before transporting back to the Immortal Realm, followed closely by Sasuke.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Mend Even More

'**Thinking'**

"**Talking"**

Sakura sighed, kicking at the water she floated over. Worry ate at her and made it hard for her to concentrate on trying to get her emotions together. So much has been revealed in the last couple of hours, she didn't know if she could process it all.

First, there was worry and fear for Naruto. No one knew what had happened to Naruto only that Sasuke had found him curled up into a ball and that it was obvious he had been crying. Now, he was just staring at nothing, not even blinking or responding when someone tried to talk to him. After a while, fearing that they were crowding him, Tsunade had ordered everyone out of her domain. But, when she was leaving, Sakura noticed that Sasuke was talking to Tsunade in hushed tones, and, when Tsunade nodded, Sasuke headed back into the room where Naruto was.

Sakura wasn't dumb, actually she was the opposite, so she knew what this could possible mean. She remembered when Tenten had gotten hurt on the battlefield, one of the rare times she was vulnerable, and Tsunade had only allowed Tamari to visit her, saying that only mates could visit each other when seriously hurt. So by allowing Sasuke to go back to Naruto, Sakura could only interpret that as meaning that Sasuke was Naruto's mate. Which lead her to her next emotion, confusion.

Sakura was confused because she could only get a little angry at Naruto for taking Sasuke away from her. That anger was overshadowed by her concern for Naruto and her rising feelings for Lee. Sakura couldn't, and wouldn't deny, that it actually felt good to be with Lee, to be with a God that actually gave her attention, that wanted to be near her, that spent his entire existence trying to get her to notice him.

Sakura could admit that she might have let her pride get in her way. She had only been fascinated a little by Sasuke's handsomeness in the beginning, but, once Ino became compition for Sasuke's attention, her pride wouldn't let her loose. Now that Sakura thought about the last thousand years, it didn't feel like she was in love with Sasuke, only that she **had** to be in love with Sasuke, had to beat Ino, and this revelation sadden her. This would mean that she had destroyed her friendship with Ino and had hurt Lee more than necessarily all for the sake of her pride.

'_I'm such an idiot._' Sakura thought in disgust. '_How could I not notice this sooner?_' But she knew why. '_It's hard to admit I might have been wrong about something I was so sure my whole life._' She thought gloomy, then shook herself and thought with determination, '_But I can admit it now and I am determined to not only give Lee a chance, but to fix my relationship with Ino._ _Speaking of Ino, I didn't see her at Tsunade's house. She must have heard about Naruto, surely she wouldn't think about not visiting him?' _Sakura knew that the two were having an argument about something, Ino wouldn't tell her, but they have been best friends literary forever, Sakura was sure that they wouldn't let something as little as a disagreement tear them apart.

"Sakura!" All thoughts of Ino disappeared though when she heard Lee's voice. Her heart fluttered like it never has when she thought about Sasuke and that made it clear that her affections for Sasuke were disappearing as fast as her affections for Lee were appearing. Sakura turned with a smile to face Lee, who was making his way across the water, his feet barely touching it.

"Lee, what are you doing here?" Though she wasn't complaining.

Lee smiled at her. "I knew you were upset over what happened to Naruto, so I thought I should comfort you."

'_Another thing Sasuke never did for me._' Sakura thought. "Thanks Lee." If possible, Lee's smile got bigger.

The two sat in the middle of the lake, letting their feet touch the water every now and then, and talked. Lee made sure to make Sakura laugh, and, if anyone was there to notice, they would have spotted him slowly reaching for her hand. But it was Sakura who closed the distance.

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'_What is wrong with me?_' Ino thought, curling up into a ball further. '_Naruto is my FRIEND. Why would I do that?_' Ino had immediately regretted what she said to Naruto, but when she had turned back to go and apologize, she had sensed that Sasuke was approaching. Too embarrassed and still a little upset, Ino decided she could come back later to apologize.

So she went back to her domain, pacing in anger. But that anger began to fade when she remembered the slight pain she caught in Naruto's eyes before she had stormed out. '_No matter what we fight about, I should never have brought up that time._' Ino thought in disgust. '_And now it's too late to apologize. What am I supposed to say anyways?_'

"Someone sure is gloomy." Said a voice behind her, but she knew who it was.

"Go away, Shikamaru. I'm not in the mood." Ino said. Shikamaru was the last God she wanted to see, especially when he brought unwanted emotions.

"I can't do that." She could tell he was getting closer. "You see, I noticed something. I'm sure other people noticed too, but they probably didn't come to the same conclusion as I did." Ino didn't like where this was going. "I noticed that you weren't there with everyone else, checking up on Naruto." Shikamaru was taking his time walking to her, his steps were slow. "What everyone else probably thought was that you had checked up on him earlier and Tsunade had sent you home." Ino just wished he would get on with it. "What I think is that you haven't even gone to see him." Shikamaru's voice was as lazy as ever, but a dark undertone was beginning to creep in. "Now, I know you two have been friends for a long time. I know for a fact that you should have been the first one there and the last one to leave. But you weren't. So the only conclusion I can come up with," The footsteps were loud when they came to a stop beside her head. "Is that you had something to do with what happened to Naruto." Ino stayed silent, but she knew it wouldn't last long. Shikamaru sighed. "Ino, for once, don't battle me and just tell me what happened."

"I was a bitch ok!" Ino jumped up and spun around to face Shikamaru, but this time he didn't back down. "I was a totally, jealous, insecure bitch! I told him something that I promised to never speak of again, something that I knew would tear him up, but I didn't care! I was just so angry!"

"Angry at what?" Shikamaru's voice was soft, not judging nor surprised. Just soft, his voice slightly cooling Ino's anger.

"I...uh…caught Naruto and Sasuke kissing." Ino mumbled.

It was a couple of minutes before Shikamaru replied. "So?"

That just made Ino mad again. "So? Naruto is supposed to be my friend! How could he kiss Sasuke after I told him so many times that I like Sasuke?"

"Maybe he didn't think you liked Sasuke anymore."

"Why would he think that?" Ino said bitterly.

"Because he saw us." Ino looked at him in surprise. "Together. Talking. Laughing. He probably thought you had finally gotten over your stupid crush on Sasuke. "

"It's not a stupid crush." It sounded whiny even to Ino.

"Ino, you only see Sasuke once every month, you barely talk to him, and he never seems interested in you." Shikamaru ignored Ino's glare. "Can you even tell me why you like him?"

Ino opened her mouth to reply 'Of course', but then she stopped to think about it. Why did she like Sasuke? At first, she was attracted by his handsomeness. But then…actually, that's all she could think about. Now that she thought about it, Shikamaru was right. She rarely talked to Sasuke, because he was in the Night Court, except for the monthly dinners, and then she was usually fighting with Sakura for Sasuke's attention.

Shikamaru didn't say anything, but she could feel the smug coming from him. Ino could only glare. "What are you saying?"

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm saying what everyone has been thinking. Get over him. He's obviously not that in to you. And I'm assuming by your silence that you weren't as in love with him as you like to claim."

"How do you know? Why would I spend the last millennium chasing a guy I didn't love?"

"Because you're afraid." Shikamaru said it with such certainty, as if it wasn't the dumbest thing Ino has ever heard.

Ino snorted. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"To love." Shikamaru shrugged.

"And what makes you say that." Ino tried to sound confident, but her voice got a bit shaky at the end.

"Because you flinch whenever I come near you." Shikamaru took a step closer to her, and she had to fight not to take a step back.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Ino, you know, you _**know**_, deep down in your heart that you don't love Sasuke." Shikamaru was coming closer, and Ino couldn't deny that her heart felt like it would pound out of her chest. "Ino you know." So close, so close! "You know that I'm your mate." It was whispered in her ear, but it felt like he had burned it into her skin.

"I…I…" Ino didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she could say _anything_. So she settled for crying.

Shikamaru held her, held her as the truth she tried to deny, subconsciously, made its self-known. She cried as the realization that she had wasted countless years and destroyed two friendships over a lie, a lie she should have given up on long ago.

Eventually, she stopped crying. Sniffing, and wiping away her tears, Ino tried to pull away, but Shikamaru wouldn't let her. Ino gave a laugh, not a very cheery one. "Its ok, Shikamaru. I'm not going to run from the truth anymore. But there's something I have to do."

Shikamaru gave her a curious glance. "What?"

Instead of answering, Ino asked. "Is Sasuke still at Tsunade's with Naruto?"

Shikamaru slowly nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Ino slowly peeled herself out of Shikamaru's grip and gave him a watery smile. She transported away, leaving Shikamaru with these parting words. "I'm going to do something that might permanently damage my relationship with Naruto, but will hopefully pull him out of his trance and into the arms of his mate."

**Please Review**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Digging up the Past

** So yeah, I'm sorry about it taking so long, but I'm starting to work on another story and sort of put this one on the back burner. But no more! Anyways, enough of my rambling. On with the story!**

Shino was running from him.

Kiba knew this, it was obvious by the way he would disappear whenever Kiba got anywhere near him. But _why _was the question. Their first meeting, while starting off rough, went really well. And, by the way Shino had been staring at him, he figured that they could become really good friends and, potentially, something else. Now, Shino acted like he was disgusted by Kiba or something, and Kiba couldn't help but wonder what he did to make the Winter God so, umm, _cold_ towards him.

But Kiba wasn't the Animal God for nothing. He knew every way possible to stalk and hunt his prey. He would get Shino to talk to him, or at least find out what he did wrong. They were both in the Mortal Realm again, and, ironically, in the same forest where they had their first pleasant encounter. Kiba thought he was pretty well hidden amongst the leaves, watching as the Shino just stood, the ground freezing below him and flowers wilting. Shino had been standing there for a couple of hours, not moving, and really, Kiba was getting a little impatient. '_What in the name of Tsunade are you doing?_' Kiba thought, a low growl escaping him.

He realized his mistake too late, and watched, a bit mortified, as Shino's head cocked to the side, letting Kiba know that he knew that Kiba was watching him. Sighing, Kiba figured there was no use in hiding anymore. So, instead, he stalked angrily up to Shino and shoved him.

Shino did nothing except take the hit. He kept his back to Kiba, staring at the ground. Kiba huffed. If it had been anyone in the Day Court that he had shoved, they wouldn't have taken it so lightly, and he would have figured out what the problem was by now. But, noooo, Shino had to be from the stoic and quiet Night Court.

"Ok, what's your problem?" Kiba growled, his hands on his hips and his most impressive glare in his eyes.

Shino slowly turned towards him, but of course he had his glasses on, which meant Kiba couldn't read any of his emotions. "Well?" Kiba spit out. "I'm getting real sick of your attitude, you know?"

"Good." Was the cold reply Kiba got.

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "Good? That's it? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"It means I want you sick of me." Shino said, his breath freezing the air around him so Kiba could see little clouds. "I want you to hate me."

"What?" Kiba asked, thoroughly confused. Shino was making no sense. "Why?"

"So you'll leave me alone."

The two stared at each other, shocked eyes into black sunglasses. Finally, Kiba's mouth twisted into a scowl. "You want me to leave you alone, huh? Why? Because I'm not good enough for you? What do you think I am, a mutt?"

"Look around you." Shino pointed to the trees and the ground. "Look at what I do to the beautiful things that lay in this forest. Look at how I drain the colors away, how I wilt the flowers." Shino pointed his pale hand at Kiba's shocked face. "Look at what I do to you. How can you want to be with someone who takes a part of you away?"

Kiba stared, speechless at Shino, wondering how he could think that. Then, with a growl, he jumped forward, grabbing Shino's hand, and kissed him roughly. Shino gasped in surprise, which gave Kiba the opportunity to stick his tongue as far as he could get into Shino's mouth, before engaging Shino's tongue in a short battle.

When at last he poured every frustration he had at Shino's words in Shino himself, Kiba pulled away with a wet _pop_, a string of saliva connecting them. Keeping Shino's face close to his so he could see the intensity and truth in his eyes, Kiba said "Don't ever say that again. You don't take away color, you add to it, you shape the world into a different place, a beautiful place!" Pulling Shino even closer, he whispered the words across Shino's mouth. "So don't you dare say something like that again."

Shino could only stare into Kiba's eyes before he had to look away. "But, look at what I do to you. You get so docile, so tamed, and I don't want to do that against your will."

Kiba chuckled, letting Shino go. "Do I look tame and docile to you right now? You forget, there are some animals that hunt in the winter."

"Yeah, but that's not how you acted the first time we meet." Shino pointed out.

Kiba laughed nervously. "Yeah, well I forgot too." A mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. "I guess the more I hang around you, the less it has an affected on me."

Catching onto what Kiba was hinting at, Shino smirked. "Well, if it helps you, I guess we can hang out more."

Kiba smiled softly at him, before catching Shino's hand to intertwine it with his own. "I would like that."

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Ino took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was going to do, what she had to do. Really, it might be the only way to save Naruto. Gathering all her nerves, Ino knocked on Tsunade's door, though it was a bit unnecessarily since every Immortal in the house knew she was here.

Cracking the door a bit, Tsunade barked a "What?" but Ino wasn't discouraged. Being in a Court ruled by Tsunade, she had become use to Tsunade's attitude and shifting moods. Plus she knew Tsunade was just worried about Naruto.

"I wish to speak to Sasuke." Ino stated calmly.

"He can't speak to you right now." Tsunade huffed, but Ino stopped her from closing the door.

"Please tell him it's urgent and it might help Naruto." Ino pleaded.

Tsunade eyed the Summer Goddess warily. "You know what's up with Naruto?"

Ino nodded. "Please get Sasuke for me."

Tsunade sighed. She wanted to know what happen and how whatever Ino was going to tell Sasuke could help the Sun God, but she knew Ino for too long. She had that determination in her eyes that said that she would speak only to Sasuke. Turning around, Tsunade barked Sasuke's name and could tell that the Moon God was slowly making his way to them. She turned back to Ino. "He's coming." Though Ino already knew that.

Ino nodded before biting her lip. "Tsunade?" The Day Court ruler looked at Ino questioning. She had never known the Goddess to speak in such a soft tone or to have such vulnerable eyes. "Sasuke and Naruto…will…do you think…they will make each other happy?"

Tsunade was a bit shocked that Ino had figured it out, but then again, the Goddess had always been smart. Smiling softly, Tsunade bent down to whisper in her ear. "As happy as you're going to be with Shikamaru."

Ino blushed a bit, then smiled at her ruler. "Thanks Tsunade." With those words her last bit of hope for an unreachable future were torn away, but they also gave her the courage to tell Sasuke what he needed to know.

Tsunade turned around to find an annoyed Moon God. "Yes?" He asked.

Tsunade tilted her head towards Ino. "Ino would like to tell you something about Naruto. She said it might help him."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow but walked towards Ino anyways. Ino glanced nervously at Tsunade. Tsunade smiled. "I think I'll just check up on Naruto now." With that, she disappeared. Ino smiled in relief, she knew she could trust Tsunade won't eavesdrop on them, and, even though she was already going to break her promise to Naruto that she wouldn't tell anyone his darkest secret, it made her feel a bit better.

"Talk." Sasuke grunted.

Ino squared her shoulders and looked into her ex-crush's eyes. "First, you have to promise me that you won't make Naruto cry anymore."

Sasuke frowned, not aware that he had made Naruto cry in the past and not understanding why Ino would ask for such a promise. "Why?"

"Because, too many people have made Naruto cry and he doesn't deserve that. If you can't promise me this then there's no use in me telling you Naruto's secret."

Sasuke saw the seriousness in Ino's eyes and frowned harder at the thought of Naruto crying. The image seemed so wrong. "I never meant to make Naruto cry and I don't intend to in the future." was all he said.

Ino nodded, recognizing that that was about as good as she could get. Taking another deep breath, she began. "Many years ago, when Naruto was as young as the Mortal Realm, he decided he wanted to be among the humans." There Ino stopped.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I could see the idiot being excited over humans, but so what? What does this have to do with how he's acting now?"

"Well," Ino said, looking anywhere but at Sasuke. "The problem was that the Sun wasn't meant to be so close to the humans and, like I said, Naruto was young." Ino's fingers twisted around each other. She wasn't so sure this was a good idea now, what if this hurt Sasuke's and Naruto's relationship even more.

Sasuke watched the Summer Goddess twitch and fidget as dread pooled in his stomach. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "The Fires." He breathed out, watching Ino's body jerk in confirmation.

"It wasn't so bad at first." Ino was quick to explain. "He would just forget himself every now and then. The ground would burn with his footsteps or something would randomly burst into flames. He tried, he really did, to control himself, but…"

"But?" Sasuke prompted.

"The villagers figured it out. I don't know how or what they thought, all I know is that they figured out that the fires only happened around Naruto and…and…" Ino couldn't go on.

Sasuke stilled, not even daring to breath. "What did they do to him?" He asked, his voice low and menacing.

"They ganged up on him, shouting at him, calling him a demon, a monster. Naruto tried to explain that he was trying to control it, that sometimes he couldn't help himself. But then, someone struck him and he couldn't control it anymore. The houses around him burst into flames and that's when the villagers went into panic mode. They chased Naruto, who was too stressed out to know what he was doing and the world started to burn beneath him."

"That's why he went missing." Sasuke mumbled.

Ino nodded. "By the time I found him, he had gotten himself under control, but would flinch whenever something else accidently caught fire. I was able to calm him down enough and insure that he wasn't a demon that should die, but he still fears those words." Something in Ino's voice gave her away.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "What does this have to do with what Naruto is doing now?"

Ino refused to fidget under his intense gaze. She messed up and she would own up to it. She was no coward. "I got jealous of Naruto kissing you and demanded that he never go near you again. He told me no. So I called him a monster." She didn't' flinch when his gaze darkened and his fist clenched, though she wanted too. Very badly.

"You what?" He hissed. "Even when you knew what those words do to him?"

"I know, it was wrong of me, I was a bitch and let my anger get the best of me, and I know there is nothing I can say or do to make it up to him. Which is why I came to you. You're his mate, I know that now and the only one who can help him." Ino smiled sadly at him. "Go, fix my mistake. Make sure Naruto won't cry anymore." With that, Ino turned to walk away, before looking over her shoulder. "No one but me knows his secret, except for you now I guess. Not even Tsunade."

Sasuke immediately knew what she was telling him. He snorted. "I'm not an idiot like Naruto." Ino knew that meant that Naruto's secret wouldn't get past Sasuke's lips, not even if they were pulled by Kiba's horses. She finally walked away for good, trusting that Sasuke would make everything better, and all that she could do now was wait. Luckily for her, she had a Sleep God to wait with her.

Sasuke turned back into the house, his mind whirling with what he has been told. An idea was already forming in his head, but it wasn't something he was looking forward too. Naruto wasn't the only one with a secret, but he was worth digging up past heartaches.

**Please Review**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: The Final Mend

Sasuke returned to the room where Naruto laid and saw that everything was exactly the same. Naruto was staring at the wall, not responding to Tsunade, not blinking, not even breathing. Just staring. Sasuke sighed. "Nothing?"

Tsunade shook her head sadly. "Nope. I even offered to treat him to some of his favorite human food."

Sasuke blinked. "You offered him ramen and he didn't say anything?" When Tsunade nodded, Sasuke knew he defiantly had to go on with his plan. Things were defiantly serious. "Tsunade, don't you have a meeting with Jiraiya?"

Tsunade frowned at him. "No I-"Then it hit her. She gave Sasuke a confused glance, but guessed that it had something to do with what Ino told him. Heading for the door, she answered "Why, yes, I think I do." Stopping the door, she gave Sasuke a meaningful look. "It's not going to make things worse, is it?"

"I hope not." Sasuke replied, not bothering to look back at her. "But it's the only choice we have."

Tsunade sighed. "I guess so." Glancing once more at Naruto, she left.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure how to start. What he was about to tell Naruto, whether Naruto could hear him or not, he had never told anyone. Not even Jiraiya. It was too personal, too emotional, and those were things he didn't do real well with.

Looking down at Naruto's golden hair, he smiled and got a burst of confidence. He could do this, if it were for Naruto. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over Naruto's forehead and mumbled "You're the farthest thing from a monster."

When monster left his mouth, Naruto gave a jerk and whimpered. While it wasn't the best sign, it gave Sasuke hope. It meant Naruto could hear him.

Kneeling down so he was face to face with Naruto's dull blue eyes, Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself. '_For Naruto._'

"Naruto, please, if you can, listen to me. I was young." Sasuke smirked slight as he realized something. "I guess we do stupid stuff when we're young. Anyways, I was young and I too wished to explore the Mortal Realm. The humans confused me, I didn't understand all their…emotions. I found it weird that they could be happy one minute then sad the next then angry a second later. They moved so fast that I was fascinated. And that fascination was my downfall." Here Sasuke paused as memories plagued him.

Clearing his throat he continued. "One family in particular caught my interest. I don't know why, there wasn't really anything special about them at the time. It was just a father, a mother, and a son. Actually, it was the son who caught my interest. I first meet him when he was hunting and I couldn't help but admire him a bit. I've seen humans hunt before, but not like this. He was merciless able to track any animal and swiftly take them." Sasuke couldn't keep the awe out of his voice. Even after all this time the long haired man, Itachi, still managed to impress him. Even after what happened next.

Shaking himself slightly, he took another breath, this time to help stop his heart from getting that all too familiar pain. "I…don't know why, but I integrated myself into their family, pretending to be a lost child. Their father didn't seem to care for me, but the mother and son, they adored me. So, I grew up with them, following the son around like a lost puppy. I wanted to learn all I could from him." Sasuke noticed that Naruto had turned his head slightly towards him and his heart fluttered with hope.

Eagerly, he continued, forgetting his own pain for a moment. "Anyways, one day the father and son had an argument. I still don't know what it was about, but I remember their shouts echoing throughout the house. Afterwards, the son left, and didn't return too much later. When it came to dinnertime, I had to hunt for them. The father went with me, not trusting that I could actually get anything. I was upset about the argument and about his doubts, so…I proved him wrong. I used my heightened speed and senses and killed the biggest deer I could find. That was my first mistake. After that, the father treated me different. He seemed to admire me a little bit more and I basked in it. That was mistake number two. My final mistake was replacing their son." I had to stop again to blink away tears.

"Sa-"Sasuke looked back at Naruto in surprised at hearing Naruto almost speak his name. But his eyes were still dull. So Sasuke continued.

"I…I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. But after so long of the father not even acknowledging my existence, I couldn't help it. He practicality worshiped me." '_Damn my stupid eyes and their stupid tears and my stupid throat._' Sasuke had to stop again to hold back what was defiantly _not_ a sob.

A tanned hand touched his bowed head, sliding to his chin to lift his face to stare into the sweetest and most innocent eyes Sasuke had ever seen. He felt safe in those eyes, safe enough to continue. "The son came back. Itachi came back, and they, no, we didn't notice. He watched as I did the stuff he used to, as I got the praise his father use to give him, as I got the love his mother use to give him. And his anger burned for days, till, when it couldn't burn anymore and he…"

"And he what?" Naruto asked softly.

"He killed them, his mother and father." Sasuke was trembling, he knew that, but he couldn't seem to stop. "He took an ax and just went crazy."

The two were silent for a couple of minutes. Then Naruto asked "What did you do?"

Sasuke stiffened. He had to look away from Naruto's eyes. They were too innocent for him to handle and he felt dirty just by looking into them. "I killed him." He said it without any emotion at all, looking at the white wall.

Again there was silence. Then, those warm fingers were gripping him again. He refused to move at first, but Naruto wouldn't give up. Finally, he allowed himself to be pulled down, only mildly surprised when soft lips brushed against his before he pushed down firmer.

They kissed for only for a few seconds before Naruto pulled away, only to kiss Sasuke's eyelids, licking the tears he didn't know he had away. Sasuke then pulled Naruto back into the kiss, kissing him more passionately. "You are no monster, Naruto." He felt Naruto stiffen and he growled in the Naruto's mouth, nipping at his tongue. "The only one who could ever be called a monster is me."

Naruto surprised him when he pulled Sasuke closer and gave a growl all his own. "Never. Never think you are a monster. You could never be a monster."

Sasuke pulled back to give him a serious look. "I tore a family apart, Naruto. I killed three people."

Naruto frowned at him. "No, you had no idea what Itachi would do. The blame cannot be put on you."

Sasuke looked into those determined eyes and smiled. "Fine, I won't call myself a monster if you forget you ever were called one."

Naruto smiled back at him. "Deal." He knew it wouldn't be as easy as that, but he knew with Sasuke by his side, he could get through anything.

Sasuke stared into Naruto's eyes a bit longer to make sure he was telling the truth before pulling the blonde into a hug. "I was so worried. You wouldn't respond to anyone, even when we offered you ramen. I was so worried you wouldn't come back." Sasuke mumbled into Naruto's neck.

Naruto patted his back. "Sorry about that. Just got caught up in some old memories." He paused, feeling Sasuke slightly lick his throat and he giggled.

"No more memories. I won't allow it." Sasuke growled.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sasuke, I don't think it works that way."

Sasuke glared at Naruto for doubting him, biting Naruto's neck only to smirk as the Sun God gasped out a moan.

"Did Ino tell you?"

Sasuke sighed. "You sure know how to kill a mood."

Naruto blushed, but he still said "She did, didn't she?"

"Is that a problem?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto seemed to think it over before finally shaking his head. "It's probably because of her that we got together."

Sasuke scooted closer to Naruto, 'hn'ing his agreement. Naruto caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and smirked, deciding to tease the Moon God a bit.

"I suppose I should thank her." Naruto said, slyly.

"I suppose so." Sasuke agreed, though his hand betrayed him, gripping Naruto's waist to pull the blonde closer so he could go back to suckling on that tanned neck.

"Maybe I should go now." Naruto gasped out between moans, though he betrayed himself by placing his hands around Sasuke's neck and twisting so Sasuke sat between his legs.

"I don't think that's a good idea." The words vibrated up Naruto's throat.

Naruto smirked. "And why it that?" The smirk fell off when he was pushed down onto the couch, Sasuke looming over him with dark, sinful eyes.

"Because I said so." Was the reply as Sasuke kissed his way back up to Naruto's lips. Naruto's tongue meet his, each exploring the other's mouth.

Finally, Naruto pulled away. "I guess I should torture her a bit more by waiting till later."

Sasuke smirked, already leaning back down. "Sounds like a plan."

**Please Review**

**One more chapter to go, before this story is over. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. **


	16. Epilogue

**Last Chapter everyone! The end to my first multiple chapter fic. Yay~ I got through it!**

~Thousand Years Later~

It was another Dinner with both Courts together. They've been having more of them since everyone found their Mate.

Lee and Sakura immediately did their Mating Ceremony. Lee said that they were too youthful to wait any longer or something like that. Sakura just said she couldn't deny Lee anything. Their Ceremony was held that Fall, and, though Ino, who reacquainted her friendship with Sakura now that they weren't fighting over the same guy, complained that it was too fast to do anything spectacular, Sakura would defend till the end of eternity that it was perfect. Lee would agree with her, because he said nothing looked more beautiful than his Sakura, who spent the entire Ceremony with bright gold and deep red leaves tangled in her pink hair.

Next came Neji and Gaara. Their Mating Ceremony was a bit…unusual. They held it at the beach where Gaara first kissed Neji, and, at the end, they made it rain sand and water to symbolize their coming together. While no one complained then, not wanting to ruin the Ceremony, Ino and Sakura would complain about it for the rest of their lives. Naruto thought it was cute, making the Sand God blush as bright as his hair when he told him so. Then Neji smirked and said "Yes, yes he his." Gaara would blush some more but he always smiled back at Neji. It was Neji's confidence that allowed Gaara to claim that he had the best Ceremony of them all.

At Shino's and Kiba's Ceremony, it was a bit cramped since Kiba had one of every animal there. Neji teased about having to swat fleas off him the entire time, but Kiba only rolled his eyes and grinned. Then he would remark "At least none of them tried to eat you." Neji would see the twinkle in Kiba's eyes and he could never figure out if Kiba was joking or not. Shino constantly worried that the Ceremony wasn't good enough, but all it took was a kiss from Kiba to shut him up. Then he would mumble that nothing could have made the day better and Shino would smile before picking him up, bridal style, to ravish him back at their domain.

Naruto claimed that his Ceremony was the most beautiful. When the Sun and the Moon came together to create an Eclipse, no one could really argue with him. But then Naruto would claim that the most beautiful thing there was Sasuke's smile and there, people could argue because not one of them saw it. Anytime they looked at Sasuke, he was smirking down at Naruto. Naruto would just give them a confused look, because anytime he looked at Sasuke, all he saw was the softest, smallest, most genuine smile he had ever saw. When Sasuke was asked about it he would just '_hn_' and smirk. But when they lied together in their bed, Sasuke would whisper that his smile was only for Naruto.

Shikamaru's and Ino's Ceremony came much later, part of it because Ino was trying to make it perfect and part of it because Shikamaru was too lazy to plan anything. But when the day did come, not once did they catch Shikamaru sleeping and everyone agreed that Ino looked radiant and just like what a Goddess of Summer should look like. Almost everyone agreed that the best part was when the butterflies carried Ino in, though Kiba and Naruto thought the best part was when Shikamaru put everyone to sleep so he could carry a blushing-and loud- Ino to their domain.

The only ones not Mated were Iruka and Kakashi. They were still taking it slow for Iruka, who always apologized to Kakashi. Kakashi instantly hushed him and told him to take as long as he needed. Though Tsunade didn't stop asking them when they were going to have their Ceremony anytime they got together. Like now.

Kakashi sighed. "I don't know why I have to keep telling you this, but I'm waiting for Iruka to make the decision. I don't want to rush him."

Tsunade frowned at the answer she always received and glanced at the empty chair next to Kakashi. "Where is Iruka?"

Kakashi was about to shrug when the doors opened to reveal the Love God.

"Ah, Iruka, we were just talking about you." Kakashi said before his stopped and his eyes widened.

Iruka smirked as he leant down to give Kakashi a light kiss. "Sorry, had some stuff to take care of."

Kakashi couldn't stop staring, and, if he didn't have his mask on to see for sure, Iruka could have sworn his mouth was hanging down. "What's the matter?" He asked innocently, though his eyes were anything but innocent.

Before Kakashi could answer, they heard Naruto, who had stopped talking to Ino (yes, they did renew their friendship and it had enough tears and hugs and "Besties!" to embarrass both Sasuke and Shikamaru) long enough to notice the Love God's presence, ask "Hey, Iruka, what happen to that scar on your nose."

Iruka just smirked.

Later, when everyone decided to return to their domains, Tsunade smiled as she drank her wine. She had a feeling that another Ceremony was coming up and she couldn't be more pleased.

"My, my, what a big head we have." Jiraiya mocked, though it was anything serious. He enjoyed when his Mate was like this, it usually made it easier to get what he wanted.

Tsunade mocked glared at him, but it was ruined by the smirk she had on. "Why shouldn't I be? Thanks to me, both of our Courts are happy at last."

"You know they did all the real work, right?" Jiraiya pointed out.

"Big words from someone who wants to have sex later." Tsunade replied, smirking when Jiraiya tripped over himself trying to apologize. She smirked again.

Yes, she was defiantly pleased by how things turned out.

~End~

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed and who has stuck with me through this story. You are all fabulous people.**

**Please Review for the last time. (It's kind of sad when you say it like that.) **


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